The Long & Winding Road
by The Writer On the Wall
Summary: Sharon Raydor and Andy Flynn have to drive together to Texas for work...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**Sharon.**

Sharon Raydor walked along the endless corridor, or so it felt. Her heart was racing and she tried to breathe as usual, in spite of the heavy lump that she felt in her chest, which made it hard for her to draw air normally.

She wondered what the hell did Chief Taylor mean by calling her to his office, only 30 minutes after they had a meeting in that very office, regarding the case she was currently investigating with her squad.

It couldn't be something good, she thought, and it made her feel even worse. Due to the fact that she was already qualified for retirement, she was in constant fear that she might be forced to do so. Adding to that, other fears like one of her detectives getting fired or anything to do with Rusty, and Sharon's feet felt heavy like cement as she approached the office door and finally came to a stop. Her hand didn't feel any lighter when it made its way up, toward the brown wood that was the door.

"Come in," Taylor's muffled voice sounded from the inside and she felt her hand shaking just a little when she opened the door. "Have a seat," he said, putting down a pan on the desk.

Sharon pulled a chair and sat down, looking at him firmly, and trying not to reveal how nervous she really was.

"Anything changed in half an hour?" she asked, and was pleased to hear that her voice was steady.

"Yes, but not in your current case," he opened a folder that was lying to his right, on the desk. Sharon's heart was about to explode. "Do you remember Terry Anderson?" he asked.

How could she forget? Anderson was the prime suspect in a previous case of her squad and they had difficulties in finding evidence against him. Even though he wasn't a criminal mastermind, he managed to clean his DNA from the crime scene – a store, where he shot the vendor for cash – and the security camera wasn't actually working. A lot of small stores put fake cameras, just to scare off shop lifters and muggers.

Eventually, Sanchez was able to find a witness, when the squad went from door to door in that neighborhood. Unfortunately, on the day of the arraignment hearing, that witness was nowhere to be found, and they had to let him go for lack of evidence. By the time they found the witness hiding in her grandmother's house at The Valley, Anderson was long gone.

"Of course. We all do," she said quietly.

"Well, good news," Taylor didn't sound or look happy when he said it, "he was arrested in El Paso."

Sharon felt her heart losing all of the heaviness and turning light as a feather in just one second.

"That's… great," she said, relieved.

"Yes, it is. Once he's in our custody we can finally put him behind bars and put that embarrassing story to rest." He pulled a document from the folder and closed it.

"Are they bringing him here?" she asked after a few moments of silence, in which Taylor's eyes were fixated on the paper.

"No, that's the catch. Anderson is also a suspect in a murder over there, so they're not very eager to let him go. But, since he hasn't confessed to either crime yet, they're willing to give us a chance at breaking him. Maybe now that he could be facing a death sentence in Texas, he'll confess to you. Bottom line is, whoever gets stronger evidence against him, gets to put him on trial," he explained slowly. "We – you – are going to have to go there yourselves."

"Us?" Sharon's eyebrows came close together in a confused frown, as she tried to understand what he was saying.

"You – personally. And pick one of your lieutenants to come along. I want my best people on this. We're not going to screw this up again. Pope's been breathing down my neck ever since we lost the suspect," he paused for a second, looking somewhat insecure. "Oh, and… since our department is short of funds… you'll have to drive there." He finished talking and watched her carefully, getting ready for the protest that was sure to come.

"I will?" she couldn't find anything better to say at that precise second. He took her by surprise.

"The interrogation might take a long time. Two flight tickets and two hotel rooms cost too much. So you'll drive there and get two motel rooms."

"Chief, I'm sure I don't have to go there personally. Provenza and Flynn can do it perfectly on their own, or –"

"These two? They have a talent for finding troubles. No, no. I need YOU on this."

"But what about Rusty? It's a twelve hours drive to El Paso, plus the interrogation… it's going to take two-three days to drive there and back. I can't just leave him alone," she sighed. Her voice was stern, but she had a feeling it was a lost battle. He wasn't going to back down.

"He can stay with anyone from the squad for two or three days. Even with me." Sharon's shock must have been notable on her face, because he added quickly: "That's right. In spite of what you all think, I don't bite."

"I…" Sharon said in despair, but there was no way out. "Fine."

"Which of your lieutenants are you going to take with you?" Taylor seemed pleased with himself.

"Uh… Tao has a wife and kids at home, and Provenza is… Provenza. So I guess I'll take Lieutenant Flynn."

"Good. I'm giving you the joy of informing him of that. You're leaving first thing in the morning," he smiled, not very pleasantly, and waited for her to leave. "Oh, and if he feels like trying to convince me to send someone else, advise him against that."

Sharon crossed the room in a few quick strides and closed the door behind her, allowing herself to breathe deeply and fill her lungs with air again. At least no one's getting fired, she thought as she walked back to the murder room. This time, the corridor seemed much shorter than it was when she was heading for Taylor's office.

"Captain, I dumped the suspect's phone, like you asked," Tao said, standing on his feet as soon as she walked in.

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I'll have a look in a few minutes. Right now I need to speak with Lieutenant Flynn," she cast Flynn a quick look and entered her office. By the time she sat down to her desk, he entered the office and closed the door.

"Something wrong?" he stood behind the two chairs that were set at the other side of her desk.

"Terry Anderson was arrested in El Paso. But…" she added quickly when she saw he was starting to smile, "he's a suspect over there too, so… we have to go and try to bring him back here," she said hesitantly, but tried to make her voice sound as steady as always.

"We? As in…" she recognized the same desperate reaction that she had moments ago in Taylor's office.

"You and I," she said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Andy.**

"Are you kidding me?" he rolled his eyes and shook his head. "That was Taylor's idea, wasn't it?"

"Yes," her voice was quiet and Andy suspected she was hiding something. "But it gets even worse. Due to a lack of city funds… we have to drive there and back."

"Oh, come on! That's bullshit!" he raised his voice, even though he didn't mean to, and felt his cheeks heating up in anger. Raydor just sat there and looked at him with the serenity that he always found so unnerving. "I'm gonna talk to him," he was about to turn to the door when she got on her feet.

"I would advise against that," her voice was still calm.

"Why's that?" Andy still sounded angry, but his voice returned to its usual volume. Sometimes he hated himself for yelling at people who didn't deserve it, but he's always been hot blooded and unable to control it. Raydor specifically made him feel guilty, because she never yelled back at him.

"Because that's what he told me to do," she looked at him with warning eyes, and he got the message. He was always baffled by her ability to keep a sealed face in any situation, but say so much with her eyes.

"Fine," he almost whispered that word, which announced his surrender.

"We're leaving first thing in the morning," she said. He nodded and turned to the door, but before he could open it, she spoke again. "And, Andy… try to get over this anger, please. I know that it's not necessarily fair, but we're going to spend a few days together, so let's not be in a bad mood."

He rolled his eyes again and exited the office before he get the chance to say something he'll regret. He hated how okay she was with this 'road trip'.

"What's wrong?" Provenza asked from his desk when Andy sat down angrily next to his own. He got on his feet again and walked to Provenza's desk, so he doesn't have to raise his voice.

"Taylor's sending me with Raydor to bring Terry Anderson from El Paso. By car," he felt the anger building up inside of him again, just by repeating that annoying misfortune.

"Anderson was arrested?" Tao approached the desk quickly, followed by Sanchez and Sykes. They all looked excited.

"Yeah. But I have to _drive_ there. With Raydor," Andy was waiting for some sympathetic reactions from his colleagues and friends.

"So? We can finally throw that son of a bitch in jail," Provenza said grumpily.

"Finally!" Tao smiled. Andy knew that everyone's been waiting for the moment when Anderson got caught, but it didn't change his disgruntlement.

"It's a good thing, Lieutenant," Sanchez said in his quiet voice.

"Yeah," Sykes had to be heard too.

"I agree. Although, spending _that_ much time in a car with Raydor… might be equal to a Chinese torture," Provenza said, finally being sympathetic toward his partner.

* * *

Three hours later, at the end of the workday, Andy knocked briefly on Raydor's office door – more to inform her that he was coming in, rather than to ask permission to do so – and opened it immediately.

Raydor was on her feet, gathering some documents into a folder, apparently so she can take it home with her.

"What time should we leave in the morning, Captain?"

"Let's walk to the elevator," she said quickly while hanging her purse on her shoulder, and taking the now closed folder in her hands. "I have to pick up Rusty and I'm late." Andy waited for her to reach him and exit the office before doing so himself.

"We should hit the road not long after dawn, to avoid traffic and arrive early at El Paso." Andy walked fast to keep up with her, amazed by how quick she could be on those heels.

"I agree," she pushed the elevator button and they waited in silence for a few moments. Andy moved his eyes to her just when she did the same, and their eyes met. He had no idea why, but it embarrassed him. He always felt like her gaze was soul-penetrating, and always got the weird feeling that she can read people like open books without even talking to them.

They both stepped into the elevator when the doors opened, and after descending to the parking floor and a quick "good night", each went in a different direction to find their cars.

(***)

The next morning, Andy was standing outside of Raydor's building, waiting for her to come down so they can start the long drive. He wasn't wearing one of his work suits, but a pair of light-blue jeans and a white, summery t-shirt. LA was almost always sunny, and today was no exception. Even though it was winter, there was only a small reminder of it in a form of a light breeze, which made Andy feel easy-going in this early hour of the day, although he wasn't much of a morning person. He looked around him, trying to pass the minutes until he saw Raydor emerging out of the building.

Like him, she was dressed casual with dark blue jeans and a purple, long-sleeved t-shirt. The shirt, like the jeans, was tight around her body, and for a second, Andy couldn't help but focus on it. He watched her body moving towards him in a light, almost cheerful pace and noticed that her walk was very feminine – something that didn't sit well with his Captain's personality, and that he never noticed before, or never paid attention to. It made him wonder for a second about the other sides of her, the ones that he couldn't see at work, but then he remembered who he was looking at, and returned to reality just in time to open the door for her. She didn't seem to notice the way he was looking at her.

"Morning, Lieutenant," she said in her usual, unrevealing voice. He couldn't tell if she was angry, happy, tired or anything else.

"Morning, Captain," he stood with the door open, waiting for her to get inside the car. The wind blew stronger for a second and a wave of her perfume hit his nose while she entered the passenger side seat. He closed the door, still enjoying the sweet smell, and walked quickly around the front of the car, to the driver's seat.

"We should switch every two hours or so," she said as she buckled up. "We don't want to exhaust ourselves by driving too much."

Great, she's staring to boss me already, Andy thought. "Whatever you say, Captain," his tone wasn't very pleasant, and he waited for her to say something about his bad mood again, but she kept quiet and looked through the windshield, waiting.

He started to drive in silence, and for a few very awkward minutes, they didn't say a word. He had no idea what to talk about with her. They never spent a moment together outside of work. He knew nothing about her personal life. And even though it was a work trip, not a road trip, it felt weird being confined in such a small space with her, knowing that it was going to be like that for long hours.

"So…" he said eventually, when he finally found something they can talk about. "Where's Rusty staying?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**Sharon.**

"A patrol car will take him to and from school, and he'll be staying with Lieutenant Tao," Sharon answered calmly, looking outside the windshield.

"Really? I thought you'd ask Buzz to do it."

"I thought about it, and Mike seemed like the better choice. His son is about Rusty's age, so he won't get bored or… lonely."

Flynn smiled and stopped at a red light. "It didn't take you long to care for this boy, did it?" he looked at her.

A little smile appeared on her lips as emotion flooded her heart. Same thing always happened when she took a moment to think about Rusty. He entered the depths of her heart quicker than anyone ever did. There was something about him that made her desperate to save him from anything that life throws at him, and there's been a lot of that.

"No," their eyes met when she automatically turned her head left to look at the person she was talking to, and they held each other's gaze for hours. At least that's what it felt like to Sharon. As soon as her eyes found his, a weird sensation surprised her. Her skin felt like it was being hit with hundreds of sharp nails, goose bumps like she's never felt before.

The light turned green ad Flynn began driving again. Sharon turned her head back quickly and swallowed hard. She was grateful to the fact that he couldn't see her while driving, because she looked terrified and she knew it. Her heart was pounding in her chest as if she has just finished a very long run.

What the hell was that? She wondered.

'It couldn't be… could it?' a little voice whispered in her mind. 'Yes, it could,' it went on.

'No,' Sharon's voice answered firmly inside her head.

'Don't lie to yourself… you've always thought of him as an attractive man.'

Sharon exhaled loudly and ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to shake that thought out of her mind. But no matter what she'd try to do to silence that pestering voice, she knew it was right. She did find Flynn attractive, and she did just get goose bumps from his gaze.

It must be the closeness, she thought. Being inside a car, just her and… a man she found attractive. She closed her eyes and started to make a list of all the reasons why she should repress these feelings.

'One, he's my subordinate. It's unethical,' her voice echoed menacingly in her head like a giant, invisible conscience. 'Two… two… he…' Sharon tried to come up with something, but suddenly her mind went blank. The silence in her head felt very loud as she realized she couldn't think of another reason.

'See? I told you,' the little voice sounded smug.

'Two, I'm not even his type. Yes! That's reason number two,' her voice said quickly, sounding happy. Sharon almost smiled for having another reason, but a second later her heart felt heavy, as understanding hit her.

'It bothers you that you're not his type,' the little voice said maliciously.

"Are you okay?" Flynn's voice startled her and she opened her eyes quickly. "You look like you're in pain."

They stopped at another red light, but Sharon didn't even realize it until he spoke. The early sun's bright light momentarily hurt her eyes, until she got used to it again.

"I'm fine. Just a little tired," she lied.

"We can stop for breakfast whenever you feel like it," he said thoughtfully, and Sharon felt like bumping her head against the window in despair. Of course, she'd never lose her composure like that, but now that she's become fully aware of these feelings she had for him, she couldn't repress them anymore.

The next few days are going to be hell, she thought, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She watched the road without really taking any of it in, as they reached the highway, leaving LA behind them.

There was something calming about his driving. Sharon didn't really like sitting at the passenger side, being the control freak that she is, but there was nothing scary about sitting next to him, seeing his hands move as he stirred the wheel, his chest rising and falling to the rhythm of his breaths, smelling his aftershave…

'Damn it, Sharon!' she yelled at herself inside her head.

'Come on…' the little voice woke up again. 'Give in to your desires for once. Have this adventure you're so longing for. God knows you can barely remember what a man's hand feels like on your skin…' the voice stopped talking, but instead of it appeared in her mind the image of Flynn's lips coming closer to her neck. It was like having the devil inside her head, abusing her for his amusement. Sharon coughed and cleared her throat. The voice and the image were both gone.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Flynn sounded worried.

"Yes. I'm fine," she lied again. Her gaze moved to him involuntarily, and for a moment she stared at his profile, unable to think.

"Look, there's a diner about 10 minutes ahead. Why don't we stop there for a little break?" he asked, even though they haven't been driving for so long. Sharon knew that he only suggested it because he was worried about her, and it made her feel even worse. She didn't want him to give her reasons that would justify the way she felt for him. At that moment, she missed the Flynn that he was when they first met. He couldn't stand the sight of her, like the rest of the squad. For a long time they all hated her, and she was fine with it. Not only was she used to it, but it also gave her an excuse to protect herself from getting hurt. If people don't like you to begin with, you can't expect them to be your friends. And if they're not your friends, you don't need to open your heart to them and be vulnerable.

"Alright," her voice was weak when it came out and she closed her eyes again. She figured that Flynn was probably assuming she was sick, but she didn't mind. It was much better than the truth.

'You're doomed,' said the little voice in her head joyfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**Andy.**

The road stretched on and seemed endless. There weren't any clouds in the pale blue sky, which became brighter and brighter by the minute as the sun made its way up, shedding light on the awakening world.

Andy glanced at Raydor every minute or so, to make sure she was okay. He wondered what was wrong with her. When she walked to the car earlier, she seemed perfectly fine to him.

Perfectly… fine, he thought, remembering the way her body moved as she walked. It wasn't the first time he took a moment to check her out, but there was something different about her today. Or maybe it wasn't her. Maybe this work trip felt a little less like work than it should've.

"Captain, we'll be there in a minute or two," he announced, hoping to make her feel better knowing that a break is soon to come.

"I'm fine, Andy. Really," her voice sounded to his right, but it wasn't as steady as usual. He knew that she wasn't telling him something.

They came to a stop at the diner's parking lot, which, like the building it surrounded, was pretty small. Andy jumped out of the car and made his way around it. He opened the door on Raydor's side and then offered her his hand. She stared at it for a moment, apparently shocked by how nice he was being, or perhaps considering whether she should accept his help or show him that she can do it on her own. Eventually, she took his hand to get out of the car, but let go of it quickly once she was on her feet.

Andy stood to her left and watched her carefully. She took a deep breath, looking around her with the wind blowing through her hair. She seemed just as uptight as always, but Andy didn't feel uncomfortable anymore. Something about her feeling weak made her seem more human.

Provenza once joked about that when the squad met outside of work – without Raydor, of course – on a Friday night. He said that she was probably a robot in a form of a woman.

Andy closed the car door, smiling to himself.

"Are you even hungry?" she asked suddenly, "or did you just stop because of me?"

"Uh…" he considered his words as they started walking to the diner's entrance, so he wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable. "I didn't get a chance to eat this morning."

"Even though we packed our bags and put them in the car last night?" she asked.

"Yup," he said, annoyed. There she is again, the usual Raydor, judging him.

"And even though you live by yourself and didn't have to struggle to wake up a teenager?" she continued the inquiry.

"Uh-huh," was all he said. They reached the door and he opened it for her.

"I'm _really_ annoying you, aren't I?" she smiled, entering the diner.

Andy stopped in the doorway, surprised, and watched her back as she continued to walk toward a free booth. He never heard anything remotely funny coming out of her mouth. Even now, he wondered if he had imagined it, but quickly decided that she actually said it, and resumed walking. He preferred believing that one of the sides of her that he was curious about, was a funny one.

"What do you feel like having?" he asked after sitting down across the booth from Raydor.

"I think I'll just have coffee," her eyes were fixated on the menu.

"Oh, come on," he said, causing her to raise her eyes from the menu and look at him. "Don't tell me you're one of those women that never eat around men?"

Raydor laid down the menu slowly and sent him a stern look.

Uh-oh, he thought, getting ready for a lecture.

"I resent that," she said slowly in her menacing tone. The quiet one, which usually made him feel as if he was sent to the principal's office. "First, it's a chauvinist thing to say," she paused for a moment. "Second, it only applies on _dates_. Not a working breakfast."

"Ah, so you admit women actually do that," Andy felt relieved. Maybe there _is _a lighter side to her.

"Of course they do," she said, just when the waitress arrived to take their order.

"Two coffees and a French toast," he said.

"Coming right up," the waitress nodded with a smile and left. Andy looked at Raydor for a moment without saying a word, but she didn't make eye contact. It actually seemed to him as if she was deliberately avoiding him. He decided to continue the conversation anyway.

"Do you do it?" his question caused her to look at him with a frown.

"Do… what, exactly?"

Andy felt confused for a second, not sure that they were on the same page, but then he smiled. "Not IT," he said, watching her cheeks turn red. She seemed to be too taken aback to respond. "I mean, do you also refrain from eating around men on dates?" he couldn't stop smiling. At that moment, his Captain looked like a frightened, inexperienced teenager.

"I don't really…" she started, but didn't complete her sentence.

"Don't really what? Do it? Do IT?" Andy never knew how fun teasing her can be.

Raydor sighed. She leaned against the back rest and glared at him silently. Andy returned her a gaze without budging.

"I don't really want to reprimand you, as your Captain," she leaned forward again, this time with her arms on the table. Andy knew that this pose along with the quiet tone that she used were supposed to intimidate him.

He leaned forward in the exact same way, and used the exact same quiet tone when he said, "you were the one who said we should be in a good mood. I think that reprimanding me would put me in a very bad mood."

They looked at each other as if they were having a staring contest. Andy suddenly could smell her perfume again, which made him realized how close they were to one another. As his lungs filled with her sweet odor, a strange impulse urged him to move forward, toward her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: In my previous fics I often wanted to reply to some reviews, so I've decided to open this current fic to questions, suggestions and anything else you might want to say.**

**So, If you want to get my response on anything, put it in the reviews with * in the beginning\end and I'll post the answers in my tumblr blog (the link is in my profile page) under the tags: The Writer on the Wall, tvfreakd, TLAWR.**

**I might also respond to reviews without *, if I feel the need to.**

**Stay tuned :)**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

**Sharon.**

Flynn made such a sudden move backwards that it startled Sharon. She didn't get the chance to ask him what was wrong because just then, the waitress arrived with their cups of coffee and placed them on the table. Sharon leaned back again and felt a new level of tension between them as they waited quietly for the waitress to leave again. It wasn't the same negative tension that they had some time ago, before she joined the major crimes unit. There was something different about that tension, but she couldn't point her finger at it.

Flynn brought the cup to his lips and took a sip from his coffee. Sharon suspected that it was his way of avoiding the rest of the conversation, but she wasn't about to let it ago, just like he didn't a moment ago, when he didn't mind embarrassing her.

"What just happened?" she asked. Her cup of coffee was between her hands, but didn't break contact with the table. Flynn brought his cup down slowly, as to gain time to gather his thoughts.

"What are you talking about?" he asked with his eyes on the tiny ripples inside his cup.

"You bolted backwards like something was wrong. So what happened?" Sharon's voice remained calm.

"I, uh… I guess I saw the waitress coming, so I moved," he started to bring the cup to his mouth again, but stopped halfway when she spoke again.

"No… she came from behind you. You couldn't have seen her."

"Well…" he shook his head, apparently lost for words or out of excuses.

"Why did you move backwards so suddenly?"

"Am I being interrogated here?"

"It's a great practice before Anderson," the edges of her mouth curved in an almost unnoticeable smile.

"Glad to be at your service," he said sarcastically and leaned forward again.

"You tease me, I tease you. I'm all for equality." she leaned forward too, and watched Flynn's face change from annoyance to something that resembled fear, or shock. She wasn't sure.

Maybe he doesn't like being so physically close to his boss, she thought bitterly.

"Fine," he said sternly without moving. "We were so closed that I could smell your perfume. And I… liked it."

Sharon stared at him, stunned by his honesty – which felt similar to a ball suddenly hitting her head. Her mind went blank for a moment, but then she quickly managed to think again, and move backwards. It was definitely not the response she was expecting.

"This isn't funny, Andy," she said eventually.

"Good, 'cause I wasn't kidding." The waitress showed up again, this time with Flynn's French toast.

For a really crazy moment, Sharon decided to turn the car around and go back to LA. Her brain told her to get up and do so, but her feet wouldn't move.

It's for the best, anyway, she thought. What was she going to tell Taylor? That she was too attracted to the lieutenant so she had to go back? And what the hell did he mean by saying that he liked her perfume? Or… maybe he meant that he liked being close to her? That sentence could be interpreted in two different ways. Sharon hated not knowing. It meant that she had no control over the matter, and that drove her crazy.

"Do you want some?" Flynn asked suddenly, and Sharon realized that she was staring at his plate absentmindedly.

"What? No, it's okay. Thanks," she finally took a sip from her coffee.

"Are you sure?" Flynn pushed the plate to the middle of the table and a wave of very tempting smell hit Sharon's nose.

"If I eat that, I can't eat for a week," she joked.

"Pft, please," he scoffed.

"What does that suppose to mean?" she frowned, expecting another chauvinist remark about women who don't eat around men.

"That you don't really need to worry about that," he said casually and took a bite, watching her arch her eyebrows. "And we don't want you passing out in the car or something like that," he added quickly.

"Okay. Just a little bit," she finally gave in, prompted by the compliment she's just received.

(***)

Shortly afterwards, they were back on the highway. Flynn still wasn't sure that she was feeling alright, so he insisted on being the driver again.

Sharon kept quiet and looked outside the window. The view was now mostly nature with far less buildings then before. The beautiful green of the trees and bushes growing wild on the side of the road filled her with serenity. Inside her head she kept reliving the breakfast conversation they had short time ago. She kept wondering what he really meant by what he said. Is it possible that she was wrong about not being his type?

No… she never saw him with anyone similar to her by appearance, character or age. Actually, she never saw him with any woman. She didn't know much about his personal life… or any squad member's personal life. It's always been her way of being. She didn't reveal much about herself to anyone, but also didn't pry on other people's lives.

Not very often she met someone who interested her. She was curious to know more about Flynn, and it was hard for her to accept.

Even if he _did_ like me that way, which he probably doesn't, he's still my subordinate, she thought and sighed.

"Are you –?"

"I'm fine, Andy," she said without even turning her head to look at him.

"Okay… hey, why don't we ask each other questions to pass the time?"

"What kind of questions?" now she had to look at him. His eyes were on the road, but he sneaked a peek at her and she felt a little wave of those sharp nails again.

"I don't know, anything you can think of. Like… why did you choose that career?"

Sharon paused for a moment. She was just thinking about how curious she is about him. But there's no chance he's a mind reader. So the only explanation for suggesting that pastime was that he was also curious about her. Or… maybe he really just wanted to pass the time.

"My uncle was a policeman. I looked up to him my entire childhood and teenage years," she decided to play along. It was a great way of finding out things about him in a seemingly innocent way.

"And after that? You stopped looking up to him?" he tried to get her to continue the story.

Sharon smiled bitterly. "He died when I was a senior in college."

"So you decided to follow his path…" he muttered slowly, apparently deep in thoughts. "What kind of student were you?" he regained focus.

"What do you mean?"

"Did you go to a lot of parties? Smoked pot? Discovered the joy of… young men?" he chuckled. Sharon suspected that he was trying to imagine her dancing wildly in a fraternity party with two or three hormonal young men around her.

"No," she chuckled too from the mere thought of having a wild past. "I was a nerd, surprisingly. I spent my college years with my two roommates."

"I should have guessed," he said, somewhat disappointed, yet, smiling.

"We _did_ go to a few parties, though."

"Oh, really? And what happened there?" he was still smiling.

"That is a story for another time," she said in a mysterious tone, knowing that he was now more intrigued than ever. "What about you? How did you spend your college years?"

Flynn waited before answering. Sharon hoped he'll answer her question and won't insist on hearing more about her. "I… had a girlfriend or two," he said evasively.

"Or twenty," she added to his sentence. Flynn didn't deny or approve, but only smiled.

Sharon knew that she was right about it. She didn't need his confirmation.

"Is that why you're divorced, because of your many girlfriends?" as soon as she finished the question, she regretted asking it. She hated prying, but she wasn't used to being so curious about someone. Nevertheless, it wasn't in her nature to ask a colleague such personal questions.

Flynn's face turned serious. "I had a lot of girlfriends, but not when I was married," he said. Sharon couldn't tell if he was angry at her, but there was no humor in his voice now. "I'm divorced because I was never able to separate from my job," he continued.

"Ah, yes… the problem of many policemen," Sharon felt that she was walking on thin ice, so she tried to sound sympathetic.

"Maybe I should have married a cop," he chuckled bitterly.

Sharon's chuckle was a nervous one. For a second she wondered what it might have been like if they'd met twenty years ago or so.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

**Andy.**

They drive went on smoothly. Around 9am, Raydor determined that it was time to switch. Andy protested at first, but he couldn't argue with her once she claimed that he was being a sexist. He had no doubt whatsoever that she was using that card against him on purpose to get him to do what she wanted, but there was nothing he could do about it. Anything he might say to try and defend himself can be twisted and interpreted the wrong way.

He took advantage of his temporary idleness – sitting at the passenger side – and went over Anderson's case again, so he wouldn't forget any detail during the interrogation. After that, he took his turn to nap, just like Raydor did before.

By noon, they switched again. Raydor obviously thought that Andy had the right idea earlier, since she took Anderson's folder in her hands and started reading the documents inside. Andy was absolutely sure that she knew every word in there by heart, same way she could recite basically every law there is.

He waited quietly for her to finish, so he could ask her some more questions, but as soon as she closed the folder and returned it to the back seat, she leaned against the window and closed her eyes. Andy had a strong feeling she was avoiding him, but decided to let her be. For now.

More than once, Andy had wondered about the true nature of this woman, who was a great mystery to almost everyone. He didn't quite understand why, but it was important to him to find out trivial details about her. Like if she had any hobbies, or what was her favorite food.

Why do you even care? he asked himself, but the silence in his head screamed at him to go look for answers somewhere else. And he sure did want to explore this interest in his boss. He wanted to explore...

An image of Raydor, standing in front of him and smiling, suddenly appeared in his mind. When the image-Raydor lost her clothes at once, Andy almost deviated from the road.

What the hell is wrong with me? he asked his inner self again.

Nothing.

(***)

Three hours into his driving, Andy felt the hunger creeping back into his stomach. He tried to ignore it as much as he could, but he gave up on that quickly.

"Captain?" he said in an attempt to wake her, but she didn't move. He tried again, this time raising his voice, but it didn't work.

Andy hesitated. He'd just seen a sign, announcing the existence of a restaurant at the next exit, one mile ahead. He had to make a quick move, or they'll miss the exit. Without thinking, he sent his hand to her thigh and called her name again.

The next movements happened so fast that he didn't have time to react: Raydor's hand landed on top of his, pinning it to her thigh, and at the same time she woke up, startled.

Andy felt a strange feeling from the position his hand was in. It was a warm, tingling wave spreading through his body. He recognized it, of course. He felt that wave many times before with many different women, but he wasn't ready to admit to himself that he was turned on by his Captain – the same woman who used to be the major crimes squad's favorite person to hate. The one whom they sometimes referred to as a robot. Instead of accepting it, he focused on the road while trying to maintain control over the car.

"What's going on?" Raydor's hoarse, sleepy voice sounded to his right. She looked around, confused.

"Captain, I'll need my hand back, if you want us to live," he tried to stay calm. Raydor looked down and her hand moved fast, as if she was touching hot iron.

"What were you doing?" she asked as his hand made its way back to the wheel.

"I was trying to wake you up. I think I'll use a megaphone next time." They reached the exit and he took it without asking her, since he didn't get the chance.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night. Where are we going?"

"I'm hungry," he pointed at a sign, which showed the way to the restaurant.

"Oh… me too." she looked at her watch, surprised. "Is it really 3pm already?"

* * *

Five minutes later, Andy parked the car close to the restaurant's entrance and they walked toward it. The restaurant stood at the side of a road leading to a nearby town. It was a small, local restaurant, which was right next to a cozy-looking inn. Across the street from them were a garage and a gas station with a convenience store. Behind these stood tall, large trees, which formed the edge of a small forest. On the restaurant's side of the road was the beginning of a shallow, clear brook, which streamed peacefully behind the two small buildings and went on into another small forest. A handwritten, arrow-shaped sign next to the inn pointed out the direction of the trail leading to the brook. All in all, it was a pretty, but deserted place. It seemed to Andy as if someone cut a few trees in the middle of a forest and built a road with four small buildings, incidentally forming two small forests around them.

The restaurant from the inside was warm and inviting – with wooden floors, walls and ceilings. The tables were also made of wood, but the chairs were soft and red, just waiting for someone to sit on them and dive into a great meal. It was also completely empty of customers.

For a few minutes neither of them spoke. They were busy browsing the menus and giving the waiter their orders. When he took the menus and left, they both looked around them, seemingly very intrigued by the restaurant's interior design.

After a minute, Andy decided to break the silence. Keeping quiet was much more embarrassing than having a personal conversation with his boss.

"Captain... do you keep in touch with your husband?" he asked carefully, hoping that the sudden question won't upset her. Raydor frowned at the randomness, but she didn't seem angry to him.

"I never told you I was married," she said in her monotonous voice.

"Oh, well, you know… you told Sgt. Gabriel at the time, so... you should know that usually telling one, is telling all of us," he smiled apologetically.

Raydor weighed his words, allowing the silence to fall again between them before answering. Andy figured she was considering whether to answer or not.

"Once in a few months he remembers to call and ask about our children, usually around their birthdays. Other than that... not much."

"Why doesn't he call _them_?"

Raydor played with the tip of her napkin absentmindedly. "They… don't like him very much," she said carefully. Andy knew that she didn't like to speak ill of others, no matter who they were or what they did. He never saw her losing her temper, calling someone a name or yelling, and he always wondered how she could be so self-controlled. He was pretty sure that all of the emotions she wouldn't let out were piling up inside of her, waiting to burst out somehow. It made him wonder what she would be like in bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

**Sharon.**

Time went by quickly, and in the middle of hearing about Flynn's children, Sharon realized that they had spent an hour in the restaurant. She was starting to enjoy Flynn's company. It wasn't as awkward as it was before they began talking about their personal lives. Sharon rarely ever felt comfortable with people. She wondered whether she should start getting more personal with colleagues and other people. She wasn't sure if it was Flynn himself that made her feel more relaxed, or just breaking the ice with the personal conversations.

They left the restaurant shortly before 4pm and walked to the car. The wind blew harder now, sending shivers down Sharon's spine.

Flynn rummaged in his pocket for the key. Sharon held out her hand, asking for it without words. He rolled his eyes and put the key in her palm, muttering "fine."

"Thank you," she unlocked the car. They got inside and she tried to start the car, but it only made a weird noise.

"Try again," Flynn frowned, hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Sharon tried again, and again all that happened was that noise.

"Oh, no," she whispered desperately. "Do you know anything about fixing cars?"

"Very little. Let me have a look," Flynn got out of the car, followed by Sharon. He opened the hood and leaned forward for a better look. Sharon stood behind him, arms crossed on her chest, and stretched her neck in an attempt to see what he was doing, but he was blocking her view. As she waited for his diagnosis, her eyes wandered absentmindedly to the back of his head and then to his back. Slowly, they descended more and more, finally coming to a stop on his backside. She stared at it, wondering what it'd be like feeling his lips on her mouth, on her skin… feeling him on top of her…

"I have no idea what's wrong with it," his voice made her jump a little and she raised her eyes quickly to his face as he turned around to look at her.

"Great," she muttered.

He took a few steps toward her. "Look, I'll go to that garage across the street, see if they can take a look. In the meantime… we have about four hours of drive left, not including traffic, and who knows how long fixing the car will take, so… you should probably call Taylor and tell him we'll be spending the night here."

"He's not going to like that," she said slowly, already feeling the unpleasantness of talking to her boss.

"Well, he should have arranged a better car for us if he didn't want things like that to happen," he said angrily. "I'll be right back."

Sharon watched him crossing the street and entering the garage.

The conversation with Taylor was just as unpleasant as she expected. He wasn't too happy about them not being able to interrogate Anderson today and bring him back to LA tomorrow, but he couldn't place the blame on them, although he would have been happy to do so.

Sharon promised to give him updates about the car, and he said he'd check with the local PD about loaning them a car should they need one tomorrow.

After she finished the call, Sharon went inside the inn. It was very similar to the restaurant from the inside. Everything was made of wood, from the structure itself to the furniture. The only things that broke the uniformity were the sofa's floral-patterned cushions, three framed pictures of trees on the walls and a small, red rug standing at the foot of the door.

Sharon spotted the reception desk immediately, since the room was quite small. The tip of the receptionist's head was barely noticeable from where Sharon was, so she approached it carefully. As she got closer, she saw more and more of the head , which was bent down.

"Excuse me?" she said hesitantly and the woman lifted her head quickly.

"Oh, hello!" she jumped to her feet. "How can I help you? Will you and your husband be staying here?" she asked eagerly, flipping her blond, long hair back. Sharon noticed that it wasn't very well kept. It could sure use a wash, in her opinion. Her wide, light-green dress also didn't make a good first impression. It ended above her knees, the color was faded and it lost its figure, if it ever had one. The white vest on top of it seemed to be new, which looked weird on the old dress.

"Uh… he's not my husband, and yes, we need two rooms for one night," Sharon said nicely.

"Oh, that's too bad," the woman said, pulling a paper from somewhere on the desk out of Sharon's sight. Sharon arched her eyebrows and the woman added quickly, "too bad that he's not your husband, not that you need rooms," she let out a nervous giggle, "you'd make such a nice couple." She smiled at Sharon and handed her two keys. "I'm putting you on the ground floor. Those rooms lead to the back yard." She said proudly, as if the most wonderful things awaited them in that yard.

"Thank you," Sharon gave her a little polite smile, just as Flynn entered the inn.

"No, thank _you_. We don't get much business around this time of the year. I'm Sarah, by the way. Enjoy your stay."

Sharon nodded and tried to maintain a friendly expression. This woman was too perky in her opinion.

"Captain," Flynn called and Sharon turned around, "they'll have the car ready by 9am tomorrow."

"Good, good," she said as she approached him by the door, and put some distance between her and Sarah the receptionist. "I got us two rooms," she said in an almost whisper.

"Okay… why are you whispering?" he asked in confusion.

"Because –"

"Welcome!" Sarah's voice sounded behind Sharon, startling her. The receptionist shook Flynn's hand enthusiastically.

"Thank you," he frowned and Sharon could tell that his opinion about that woman was similar to her own.

"Let's go get our bags," Sharon said, happy to have a reason to get away from Sarah.

"No, no… I'll get them," Flynn opened the door and practically ran outside, leaving Sharon no time to respond. She turned around and Sarah was watching her, smiling. Sharon returned her a smile, but it was an uncomfortable one.

"Are you sure there's nothing going on between the two of you?" the receptionist's eyes were full of intrigue.

"Excuse me?" Sharon was starting to feel annoyed.

"I… I mean…" Sarah obviously didn't know what Sharon looked like when she was angry, and the sight of it scared her. "You just have great chemistry… your rooms are through that door," she pointed to Sharon's left, went back to her chair and disappeared behind the reception desk.

Sharon smiled to herself and walked through the door. The ground floor was actually something similar to a motel. The doors of four rooms were set in a straight line along the wall, and the ground floor corridor was really a porch, since the wall that would separate the building from the yard didn't exist.

It only took a quick look at the yard to confirm Sharon's suspicion: there was nothing special about it. Two white tables stood abandoned in the middle of the yard, on the grass, with four chairs around each of them, and there was a swing seat at the far left corner, also lonely-looking.

The keys in her hand had the numbers 1 and 2 on them. Sharon scanned the doors quickly and found the correct ones to her right. She unlocked room number 1 and entered.

The room was designed in a country style, just like the rest of the place, with very few furniture – all made of wood. A double bed stood in the middle of the room and took most of its space, like a king claiming the territory as his own. On both sides of it were two nightstands with lamps on them. There was also a small closet at the right corner, and on the other side of the room was the bathroom door.

"Captain? Are you here?" Sharon heard Flynn's voice from outside the room and turned around just when he entered through the open door. "Where do you want it?" he held up her bag and waited for her answer.

"On the bed, thanks," she watched him placing the bag on the bed cover, realizing how this short exchange of words could sound to someone eavesdropping on them without seeing what they were actually doing.

Suddenly, Sharon felt a heat wave in her body, descending from her face, all the way down. Her imagination took over again, just like it did in the car earlier, and she saw herself pouncing on him – pushing him on the bed, tearing his shirt open…

"Anything else?" he examined her dreamy-looking face, frowning. Sharon came back to reality at the sound of his voice, feeling the need to act just like in her imagination burning in her bones.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

**Andy.**

"No, nothing else," Sharon said quietly. "Here's the key to your room."

Andy took it from her hand and his fingers brushed against hers. They both stopped for a moment, one holding the other's gaze, until Raydor looked away, clearing her throat.

"Well, I'll go, then," Andy was starting to feel uncomfortable. Not because of her but his own body, which kept betraying him in the last few hours he's spent with Raydor. It was like his mind completely disagreed with his other body parts.

He had no idea what was wrong with him. Raydor wasn't even his type. He usually preferred dating younger, unchallenging women, just because he didn't want a commitment, and they only wanted to have fun.

Andy unlocked the door and entered his room, which looked exactly like Raydor's room. He dropped his bag on the floor carelessly and threw himself on the bed with a loud sigh.

How can I survive the next days, being so close to her? he wondered and closed his eyes with another sigh.

The worst thing will be seeing her at work with the rest of the squad. Provenza knew him better than anyone. Andy was sure that Provenza will notice something different about him and he won't let go of it until Andy is forced to tell him that he's attracted to their boss. He could already hear Provenza's mocking laughter right after he'll get over the shock. Besides, how will he be able to concentrate on work when talking to her?

If I could just kiss her once and get it out of my system, he thought, but he knew that it was impossible. If he'll so much as kiss her cheek, she'll have him fired before he could say he was sorry.

But still… he had to find a way to do it. He was pretty sure that this will be the only way to get over that attraction. "Or whatever it is," he muttered.

His eyes opened again. Outside the window, the sky grew darker. The sun hasn't set yet, but it was nowhere to be seen. Andy saw tree branches moving wildly as the wind blew stronger now.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. Their meals together and the hours in the car kept reliving themselves in his mind. Closing his eyes again, the images in his head became more vivid. Their conversations from earlier played in his head like a movie… the breakfast… the lunch…

Somebody called his name. It was Raydor, but she sounded distant. He got on his feet and opened the door. She was standing in the middle of the empty back yard, wearing a white, flowing dress which went all the way down to her ankles. Andy also noticed that she was barefoot.

In a slow, tempting movement she signaled him with her hand to come closer, and as he walked toward her he knew that he was dreaming.

"I've been waiting for you," she said in a dreamy voice – which was not typical of her at all – and took his hand in hers. She pulled him gently to her, until his chest touched hers through their clothes.

"What are we doing?" he asked, afraid to get a different answer from what he was hoping to hear, but after all – it was _his_ dream.

"Whatever we want to do," she said in a low, husky voice.

He watched her, paralyzed, as her face drew nearer to his own. She stopped just before their lips touched, about an inch from him. Her bright green eyes dove deeply into his brown ones. They looked like gems under the sunlight.

Andy couldn't wait any longer, but he didn't feel the need to. When he brought his lips to hers, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. In spite of this being a dream, he could actually feel his tongue caressing her tongue gently. They took their time with the kiss, making slow movements on purpose, concentrating on one another.

He opened his eyes for a second, and suddenly they were at his apartment, in the bedroom.

Raydor took a sudden step back and looked at him. Andy wanted to ask what was wrong, but before he could utter the first word, she started to remove her dress by pulling it down, first revealing her shoulders.

Andy couldn't move anything but his eyes, which were restricted to her body – not that he would rather look at anything else... She kept pulling the dress down, so slowly that it almost hurt as he felt the awakening in his pants. When Raydor finally pulled her dress enough to reveal her chest, his jeans started to feel tighter, but there was nothing he could do about it. He wanted to move toward her, to touch, to feel her skin under his palms... but all of a sudden, a strange, silver fog filled the room and he couldn't see anything beyond it.

"I want you," Raydor's voice echoed, sounding distant again.

"You do?" he asked loudly. "But I can't see you! Where are you?!" he yelled.

"Find me…" her voice sounded from the distance again, for the last time.

A piercing scream woke Andy up at once. He jumped to his feet and looked around him, but the room was completely dark. He had no idea how long he's been sleeping and he didn't know the room well enough to remember where the lights where.

What was that scream… was it Raydor? Andy's breaths were heavy and fast. He tried to find the door as fast as he could with his hands groping in the dark. His heart pounded in his chest as he finally opened it, hoping that his Captain was okay.

Outside the darkness was all around. The moon and most of the stars were hidden behind heavy clouds, and there wasn't even one artificial light in the area.

"Who's there?" he heard to his right.

"Captain?" he squinted, trying to see through the blackness. His hand tried to feel her instinctively, to make sure she was there, and he touched something wet. "What happened to you?"

"I just got out of the shower," her voice sounded muffled. "Your hand is on my face."

Andy pulled his hand back immediately. "Sorry. I'll go to the reception to see what's going on," he turned around halfway, but she grabbed his arm.

"No, don't go," she shot the words quickly.

"Why? Are you afraid of the dark?" he scoffed.

"No... it's..."

"Really? The almighty Captain Raydor's achilles heel is darkness?"

"Almighty Captain Raydor?" she didn't sound too pleased with the nickname.

"Look, I'll be a minute –"

A sudden beam of light hit their faces and they squinted against it.

"Are you two okay?" said the receptionist's voice.

"Yes, we are. What's going on?" Andy asked, putting his hand in front of the light, to protect his eyes from it.

"Blackout. It's all around. Even the street is dark, isn't it exciting?!"

Andy glanced at Raydor and saw on her face the revulsion he was feeling.

"Well, if you want some candles, there are plenty on the reception desk! I'm going to sleep now, 'cause what's better to do in the dark?" they heard her happy voice again.

"I can think of a thing or two," Andy said quietly, so only Raydor can hear. The beam of light turned to the opposite direction and disappeared inside the inn. "I'm going to get some candles," he tried to walk but she grabbed him again and he sighed.

"I'm sorry. I'm being ridiculous. Go ahead," she said.

"No, you're being _human_. I'm gonna need my arm." She let go of him at once and he started to walk toward the door to the inn. "Close the door and sit next to your gun if it'll make you feel safer. I'll be right back!" he said just before she disappeared from sight. Suddenly he had a strange thought: people in horror movies always die when they say they'll be right back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

**Sharon.**

Sharon looked around her. The darkness was so dense that she couldn't see a thing. Her hair was wet and the water dripped slowly on her back, disappearing in the absorbing fabric. Even this white, fluffy thing she was wearing couldn't be seen.

She felt her way along the wall, just a few steps to her door. When she reached it, she realized that in the haste of finding out what was going on, she forgot to close it.

Her heart started to pound high in her chest with tension as she wondered if someone might have entered her room when she wasn't paying attention to sounds around her.

"You're being ridiculous again," she muttered in an attempt to calm her nerves. Her breath became heavier with every step she carefully took into the room, and she tried to catch any noises in her vicinity.

There was nothing. Not a distant sound from somewhere on the road or across the street, or the inn's yard. There weren't even sounds of the wild animals that surely reside in the woods around them.

She stood there, at the entrance to her room, and just listened. At a time like this, her ears were her best weapon to defend herself.

Weapon… she couldn't find her gun right now if her life depended on it.

The sound of footsteps on the porch outside her room got her heart racing again.

Let it be Andy. Let it be Andy, please, she begged silently.

A small source of light caught her attention, and Flynn's shadowy face appeared on the threshold.

"Hey, I got us four candles. Couldn't hold any more than that, they're huge!" he said, walking around her into the room, toward the bed. "At least they'll last for hours."

Sharon saw that he was right – the candles _were_ quite big and in different colors. He placed a purple one and a green one on the nightstands, bringing a match to each candlewick before leaving them there to spread their modest glow.

The third candle – a red one – was placed on the TV stand, right next to where Sharon was standing.

"Okay, you're all set. I'll take this one with me to my room," he pointed at the last candle in his hand, a yellow one.

Sharon wanted to yell at him to stay with her, but she tried to restrain herself while watching his dark figure heading toward the open door. At the last second, his name emerged from her mouth involuntarily and he stopped, once again, on the threshold.

"What? Did you find any monsters in the dark?" he mocked her with a mischievous smile.

"Uh, except for you?" she fired back with the most sarcastic tone she could generate.

"Ouch," he chuckled and closed the door from the inside. "Fine, I'll stay until all the other monsters have gone away."

"It's not necessary," she sat on the edge of the TV stand with her arms folded, hoping to sound brave – but she was never a good liar. Flynn took a few small steps and sat right next to her, his right shoulder touching her left one. "Really, it's fine, I'll just stay locked inside until the lights come back."

"And feel sorry for youself?" he chuckled again.

"You know, the darkness doesn't give you the right to talk like that to a higher ranking officer."

"Are you gonna punish me?" he asked in a low, husky voice and brought his nose close to her cheek jokingly.

"Don't tempt me," she said, feeling very tempted indeed, but not to punish him.

Flynn moved his head back, but still looked at her. "Do you ever allow yourself to be tempted by... anything?"

"That's none of your business."

"When was the last time you were with a man?"

"Andy!" Sharon said, appalled.

"What? I can fix you up with someone. I have some friends –"

"You can go now." She got up and took a step away from him, but on the next step her leg bumped into the bed's leg, and she felt her feet lose contact with the floor. Something closed tight around her upper arm, preventing her body from meeting the floor in a way that would've hurt a lot. Instead, she had a soft landing on her shins with her arm held upwards in a weird angle.

She turned her head quickly to her right and found Flynn's nose close again, almost touching hers. His hand was still grasping her arm tight.

"Are you alright? Were you hurt?" he frowned at her, worried.

"I… don't think so," she almost whispered. The proximity seemed to have taken the air out of her lungs.

"Good… what's that smell?" he lowered his tone to match hers.

"What smell?"

"Like… a flower."

Sharon released her arm from his grip gently, but her face didn't move an inch. She felt like she was hypnotized, unable to move her gaze away from him.

"That would be my shampoo," now she whispered. Her lungs felt empty, as if they collapsed from the excitement shooting through her veins like a drug.

"It's…" Flynn apparently couldn't complete his sentence, but the holes that his missing words left were soon filled with something else.

Sharon watched his face coming closer to hers like a slow-motioned movie. She _knew_ that she had to move backwards, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. The need to satisfy her desires was much too strong.

The softness of his lips clashed against her yearning mouth like an explosion, which sent burning vibes through her bones. Her brain yelled that she was doing an awful thing, but it felt too good to be bad. Their tongues danced around each other in a frenzy, like an endless chase, and Sharon felt him putting his hand on her left cheek. It might have been the long time that has passed since she was with a man, but she couldn't remember anyone ever kissing her like that, with that much passion, and she never wanted it to stop.

After what seemed like hours or days of vigorous movements and a blend of emotions, they finally toned it down and eventually separated from one another. His eyes seemed black in the weak candle light and they looked at her so deeply. An unnerving sensation crept up her spine. She felt that, at this very moment, he could see her soul. As if the kiss has dissipated any invisible boundary.

"What just happened?" she barely whispered, her eyes clinging onto his for the answer.

"We…" he started, but couldn't finish. "What just happened?" he repeated her question, his hand feeling warm against her cheek.

"I… I don't know. But it can't happen again," she wanted to sound determined, but it was hard with just a weak whisper.

"Yeah…" he muttered, nodding slightly.

They held each other's gaze for a moment before both of them charged at one another again. Sharon sent her hand to the back of his head and grabbed his hair loosely between her fingers. She felt his hand traveling slowly from her cheek down her neck. It continued to her shoulder, pulling the robe from it as it moved. When his lips left hers she opened her eyes just to close them again immediately as his mouth landed gently on her now bare shoulder. She bit her bottom lip to the trail of soft kisses that he made up her shoulder and then up her neck.

"We're breaking the rules," her whisper was almost inaudible.

"I know," his voice trembled against her ear and a sudden chill pricked every inch of her skin.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes:**

**-As I said before, I'm using my blog to respond to reviews when I feel the need to. This time I found only one, so check it out if u're interested (find the link in my FFN profile page).**

**-This chapter is rated M.**

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

**Andy.**

She allowed him to lean forward and get her into a lying position. They gazed at each other's eyes, both breathing fast with excitement, and Andy knew that she was wondering whether she could put a stop to this before it gets any further, or was it already too late.

He decided to prove to her that there was nothing bad about what they were doing, though it was obvious to him that they were breaking the rules, like she said. At least he wanted her to feel good about it, even with her strong sense of justice – which was too strong in his opinion. So he dived down again and charged at her neck with brief brushes of his lips. His hand was at a different spot, much lower, searching for the robe's belt.

After a quick moment, which seemed to him like an eternity, he finally had the fluffy belt between his fingers and it didn't take him long to untie it. He felt like a little boy on his birthday, opening the present he's been waiting for most of all. The excitement was about to explode inside his body.

With a trembling hand he was about to open the robe and mix fantasy with reality, after thinking about it the entire day. But before he could separate the edges of the robe to see what awaits him underneath, something grabbed his hand tight. He could feel the warmth of Raydor's own hand, which prevented him from going forward with his plan to undress her.

"We shouldn't be doing this," he heard her voice in his left ear and quickly lifted his head from her collarbone so he can look at her. His free hand was on the carpeted floor, supporting his weight.

"Yet, here we are," he tried not to sound impatient. Raydor frowned and squinted, as if she was in physical pain. "I have no intention to suddenly give a damn about rules and stop this. Unless you tell me to."

She looked at him with begging eyes and he knew that the last thing on earth she wanted to do right now was to tell him to stop. More than that – he was pretty sure that the will to be with him was too strong in her to allow her any kind of refusal. Instead of doing it herself, she wanted him to stop it for her and later regret it for the rest of his life.

"Tell me to stop and I will. I'll go to my room and we'll forget anything ever happened here," he watched her, waiting, but apparently she was lost for words. Her hand loosened its grip, maybe absentmindedly, and Andy jumped on the opportunity. He lifted his body to a sitting position with his legs on both sides of her pelvis, but he was shocked even before he could finally unwrap his present. Something hard pushed him forcefully to the side, causing his back to meet with the carpet. He didn't even have time to blink, let alone understand what was happening, before Raydor straddled him the same way he did her just seconds ago.

"What's going on?" he needed a moment to get over the amazement.

"If we're going to break the rules, at least we'll do it my way," she said in her low, menacing tone and looked at him with determination.

Andy looked down her body. There was a gap between the robe's edges, which were no longer tied together. He could see a deep cleavage, and the curiosity to see the rest felt like an itch all over his body.

"You're the boss," he smiled, looking at her face again. It might have been because of the candle light, but Andy thought he could see fire in green eyes. She kept them fixated on his own eyes while she grabbed the edges of her robe with both hands and started to pull them apart slowly, revealing her body inch by inch. Andy waited patiently, watching her little show, although it might have been the hardest thing he's ever done. He wanted to tear that damn robe off and touch every part of her body he could reach.

After a torturous minute, the white robe finally slid off of her shoulders, down her arms and eventually landed idly in his lap behind her.

Andy took a moment to tour this new found land with his hands, which followed the guidance of his eyes. He couldn't believe that Captain Raydor would just sit on his lap and let him explore her body as he wished, but she didn't even flinch while his hands moved slowly up her waist, caressing her. Soon enough the path was about to end beneath her arms, but his hands deviated from the road and made a sudden change of course. He feared that he was taking a risk by moving too fast, but he just couldn't help himself. He was quite ready for Raydor's wrath when he had her breasts in his palms, but she still didn't move. Her frozen manner worried him a little, but when he started to rub her gently, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back. She even allowed a little moan to escape her rigid lips.

Sitting up, Andy brought his body closer to hers and kissed her chin. She opened her eyes and lowered her head again, so their lips could meet. His arms crept around her slowly now, wrapping her, pulling her closer to him – the closest he could.

Her hands touched their way down to his waist quickly and then came back up, this time holding his shirt tight. She seemed to be in a hurry to undress him. Andy had to stop kissing her and move back a little, to allow her to pull the shirt over his head and throw it carelessly somewhere in the room. During those few seconds in which he waited for her to get rid of his shirt, he heard the wind outside blowing loudly, making threatening sounds that would easily scare any child, and maybe even Raydor – had she been alone in that dark room.

The red candle on the TV stand flicked wildly for a few seconds before the flame disappeared, enhancing the darkness. They looked at each other, both breathing fast with excitement. Raydor lowered her hand again and found him, causing him to moan quietly. He leaned his forehead against her shoulder, giving in to the sensation that was spreading in his body from the point where her hand was touching him. There were so many words he could use to describe this sensation – good, bad, amazing, terrifying, different – but it was a crazy mix. All of the above. The bottom line was: he never felt it so intensely with any other woman.

Her body rose a little and Andy lifted his head. He watched her with wishful eyes, hoping that she wasn't about to get up and stop this madness.

But he wasn't even close. Her hands on his body were telling a completely different story. She bent down to kiss him and her damp hair felt cool on his cheeks and sweaty forehead. It was surprisingly freshening. When her lips touched his, he knew that she was ready to take it to the next level.

She lowered her body again and Andy let out another quiet moan of relief. He made it to the promised land. And it was his entire world at that moment. He couldn't even remember his name or where he was… and especially not the possible consequences of what they were doing. All that existed right there and then was her body, which was making frantic movements on top of him, sending him to a blessed oblivion.

(***)

The ceiling was so dark that Andy had to wonder for a moment if it was really there as his eyes were fixated on where it would normally be. He was getting uncomfortable on the carpeted floor. It was fine in the first few minutes, when he was still overwhelmed with the experience he had just had. But now he was more relaxed, his breath returned to its usual pace, and his back was starting to ache. He rolled his head to the right and his eyes landed on Raydor's face. Her eyes were shut, and after a moment of staring at her, he dropped his gaze and realized that she was using the robe to cover her body like a little blanket.

Staring at her, he tried to remember every second of their deed. It was hard for him to believe that this passionate woman lying next to him was the same Captain Raydor who always seemed to him so cold and distant – except for when Rusty was involved.

On the other hand, the way she handles her powerful position at work was very similar to the way she handled this sexual encounter – with a stern, taking control, 'doing as I say' kind of attitude.

Andy couldn't say he didn't like it. That was probably why he took interest in her in the first place.

He smiled to himself just when she opened her eyes and turned her head to look at him.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11:**

**Sharon.**

"Stop," Sharon said firmly. Her ability to talk louder than a whisper was back again and she was glad. Yet, the way Flynn was looking at her made her cheeks feel hot with blush.

"What, expressing positive feelings?" he continued to smile.

"Yes," she remained serious as he chuckled.

"I think I'm getting too old to be lying on floors," he said in a tired, hoarse voice. This time she couldn't keep a straight face – a smile forced its way to her lips.

"I know."

They both sat up slowly, exhausted from the whole day – recent events in particular. Andy got on his feet and offered her his hand. She hesitated for a moment, wondering how to combine standing up with holding the robe so it doesn't move, but eventually she took his hand with her right one and held the robe tight to her body with her left.

"I've seen you naked, you know. For more than a few minutes," he said as he zipped his jeans – putting everything in its place – when they were finally standing face to face.

"It's… I'm… It's embarrassing," she couldn't look him in the eyes as she said it.

"Oh… do you want me to go?" she could see on his face that he was afraid of her response, but he was too much of a gentleman to not ask that. "If it's too much for you, I can go to my room and… we'll never speak of this again."

Sharon stared at him, unable to find the right thing to say. Making him leave would be the quickest, easiest solution to this new problem – their now changed dynamic. On the other hand, she really didn't want him to go yet, not just because of the darkness. He made her feel good. She couldn't point her finger at the reason why, but her heart felt lighter now.

Flynn apparently read her silence as a 'yes'. He turned around and made half a step toward the door, but she grabbed his hand quickly and pulled him back to her. He lost his balance from the sudden turn and she supported him with her body.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly from an inch away as she was still holding on to him, although it was no longer necessary. The only thing keeping the robe-blanket to her body now was their torsos. One little movement backwards and it would fall to the floor.

Sharon nodded without saying a word, and a second later they both moved their faces toward each other, locking their open mouths together. Sharon completely forgot about the robe and sent her arms up, around his neck. She felt his hands on her bare back, keeping her close to him. Soon enough, they slid down her back and reached a much more interesting area, but that was when she pulled her head back, cutting the kiss short.

"Let's… rest a little," she said and they both smiled.

"Yeah, I don't think I could take another round of you right now," he moved backwards suddenly, and the robe slid a few inches down before Sharon caught it, just in time to keep covering all the body parts she wanted to conceal.

"Good instincts," Flynn jumped on her bed and looked at her with one arm beneath his head, as if he was watching a movie.

Sharon held the robe in the air, between her body and his sight, and slid inside it without revealing anything she knew he wanted to see. After she tied the belt she climbed gently on the bed and lay down next to him.

"So… now what?" he asked. Their faces were almost touching again, as they looked at one another.

"Now… well, we've already opened this can of worms," she started.

"Great metaphor," he said sarcastically.

"But… there's no reason for us to close it back right now," she ignored him, although she found his remark amusing.

"What are you saying?" he frowned.

"I'm saying that… we can keep this up until we have Anderson in the car with us on our way back to LA." Sharon wasn't sure that she was doing the right thing, but it wasn't really a matter of choice. Her attraction to him was much too strong for her to be able to cut this short affair even shorter without an incentive. Having a third person in the car with them would be just that.

"Okay. And what are we gonna do once we're back to work?"

"We pretend this never happened," her voice was quiet. Flynn nodded and looked away quickly. She could tell he wasn't happy with her decision, but he couldn't really protest. Chasing her at work would be much too big of a risk. They both knew it.

"That's fine," he said eventually, still without looking at her. "I don't think I'll even believe this really happened once it's all over."

"Oh, really? Why not?" she stared at the left side of his face.

"Because… you're… Captain Raydor." He looked at her again.

Sharon squinted, considering how to respond to this. She could get mad at him and she could tease him. For some reason, the second choice seemed much more fun.

"Just so you'd know, those few parties I've been to in college… they were pretty wild."

"How wild? What did you do?"

Sharon smiled. She loved how quickly he bought it.

"I think I'll go to sleep now," she faked a yawn, "it' getting really late." With a quick movement she turned on her side with her back to him.

It didn't take Flynn too long to put his arm around her, as if he was imprisoning her, and get his face as closest as he could to hers. She felt his breath on her ear while he spoke.

"I don't think so."

Sharon bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from laughing. Her extreme ability to control her emotions might come in handy now, although she could feel her walls tumbling down slowly with every second they spent together. It was horrifying and incredible at the same time.

"We should really go to sleep. We have to wake up early," he voice was shaking a little with restrained laughter.

"Couldn't we lose the car or something?" he leaned his cheek against the side of her head. What was imprisonment a moment ago now became a hug.

"Taylor will get us another car from the local police. There's no escape," she caressed his arm absentmindedly.

"So, we probably won't get another chance to... _do_ anything," his voices sounded sad in her ear.

Sharon sighed. She knew he was right, but hoped for a miracle that would make this adventure last a little longer.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12:**

**Andy.**

The next time Andy opened his eyes, the sun was already coming out. The sky was brightening slowly and the room was dimly lit. His hand automatically reached out for Raydor but she wasn't in bed. He lifted his head from the pillow to look around, and realized that he was alone. His head fell back on the pillow with a thud, but after a minute he decided to get up and look for her. The weariness from the previous day hasn't left his body yet, but he made an effort to get on his feet and look for Raydor in the bathroom. She wasn't there. The room was awfully quiet, and Andy wondered if the electricity was fixed by now.

Where the hell could she be at this early hour? he asked himself. Was it all a dream?

He opened the door and realized he was still in her room, so it couldn't have been a dream. The cold air of the early morning gave him goose bumps as he stepped outside and looked around him. He immediately spotted Raydor in the far corner of the yard, sitting on the swing seat, and started to move toward her.

As he got closer, he managed to see she was fully dressed now. It made him wish she was still in her robe, lying in the warm bed next to him. But there she was. A heavy coat covered her upper body like a little blanket, and Andy thought about the robe again.

When he was finally standing next to the swing seat, he realized that she was sleeping. Slumped on the swing with her head tilted down, resting on her left shoulder.

Andy sat next to her carefully so the swing doesn't move and startle her. He used his finger to move her hair from her face, gently stroking her cheek as he did. Her eyes opened immediately and examined him for a while in silence.

"Good morning," Andy said and waited to see if something was wrong with her.

Raydor made an effort to sit up. Apparently her back felt stiff from the way she was half sitting-half lying on the swing. He held her by the shoulders for support and pulled her to him, so her back leaned against his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes again for a few seconds before opening them back.

"What are you doing here?" he hesitantly placed his arm around her, but she didn't seem to mind.

"I couldn't sleep, so I came out here to look at the starts, but… there were only about three visible with all the clouds," she scoffed. "I guess I fell asleep at one point."

"You couldn't sleep? Is it… remorse?" he wasn't sure that he wanted to hear the answer.

"No. I don't know. Maybe. I can't help it."

"I know, I know. We broke the rules," he smiled. "But that's what rules are for, right?"

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Rules are important in so many ways."

"Yet, I can't say I regret it," his voice was low.

Raydor kept quiet for a moment and he figured she was lost in her thoughts. Then – to Andy's surprise – she said, "me neither."

"Really?" he had to be reassured, to know that he wasn't imagining things.

"Yes," in a quick movement she got up and stood in front of him. Andy watched her as she put on her coat and gazed at him. She was standing so close that their legs were touching. All of a sudden he felt the urge to grab her by the waist and get her into a lying position on this swing.

"Anyway," her voice brought him back from daydreaming, "we should get ready to leave. The car will be ready soon."

"I don't know what time it is," he looked at the sky, "but I'm pretty sure it's around 7am. So we've got time, about two hours."

"Good. Maybe you can use that time to take a shower," she teased him, using an explanatory tone that she would use on a three-year-old.

Andy got on his feet and she took a little step back, so they don't stand too close.

"Are you afraid of me now?" he smiled.

"Not more than I'm afraid of myself," she turned around and started to walk toward her room. Andy frowned in confusion, but understanding hit him quickly. He ran to catch up with her and stood in her way to get her to stop walking.

"So, basically you're saying you can't control yourself around me and it scares you," he knew it was going to annoy her, but for some reason – he loved doing that.

"Yeah, I'm about to throw you behind that bush and… do bad things to you," the sarcasm in her voice was clear.

"I wouldn't call those things 'bad'," he chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her, but she put her hand on his chest and prevented it.

"Go take a shower, Lieutenant," she made a little detour around him and continued to her room.

Andy watched her until she closed the door behind her. He didn't have a plan yet, but he knew that he had to use her inability to resist him somehow, so she'd let her guards down again and let him in.

He went back to his room, but instead of doing as he was ordered and head for the shower, he decided to go back to sleep for a while. Two hours were more than enough from him to get ready to leave. He could definitely squeeze in a much needed nap.

(***)

The warm water felt great on his skin when he finally stood in the shower and let it pour down on him. It wasn't only a physical cleaning, but he also felt his energies renewing for the long day ahead.

That extra hour of sleep helped too. Andy finally felt his mind clear enough to think, remember and do everything that a well-rested mind could do.

Yesterday's memories crept in his head like little thieves, trying to take the serenity away from him. He remembered the way he held her arm, preventing her from falling down, saving her, making her want him… then there was her body connecting with his own body, breathing heavily, moving fast, shivering in his arms…

Andy suddenly heard a noise and, for the second time that morning, was abruptly brought back to reality. The bathroom door was open, so he could hear well what was going on in the room. Somebody was opening the front door. He closed the tap and listened behind the shower curtain. For a second he heard nothing, but then there were footsteps in his room, and a moment later – a voice.

"Andy?" he sighed in relief when he heard Raydor looking for him. "Are you here?" she sounded closer now and he knew that she was in the bathroom or on the threshold. This was his opportunity. He opened the curtain, surprising her. Raydor jumped a little and looked taken aback by his lack of clothes.

As her eyes moved down his body and then back up, she said, "that's a long… shower."

Andy had to make a big effort not to laugh.

"I took a little nap before I started it," he said and she nodded without saying a word, her mouth slightly open. "If you wanted a peek all you had to do was ask."

"Your phone," she showed him something in her hand.

"My phone?"

"I found it on the floor in my room. I'll just leave it here, on the shelf," she placed it quickly next to his toothbrush and headed for the door. Andy jumped out of the shower, water massively dripping off of him, and put both arms around her.

Raydor drew in a sharp breath of surprise and froze, but he wasn't done shocking her. He took advantage of this moment of weakness and moved back toward the shower, dragging her with him locked in his arms.

"Andy, what are you -?!"

With one quick movement he opened the tap, which was now right above their heads. Water started pouring again without distinguishing between bare skin and fabric.


	13. Chapter 13

**Note: this chapter is rated M.**

* * *

**Chapter 13:**

**Sharon.**

Sharon gasped when the water touched her head and started streaming quickly and endlessly down her body. Her breathing became fast as she stood there, overwhelmed by what had just happened.

"What. The. Hell." Her green eyes flared with rage.

"Wanna take a shower?" Flynn asked while examining her face carefully.

"Have you lost your mind?" Sharon used her hands to wipe the water from her face, but there was no use since it just kept on pouring.

"I think so, yeah." he nodded and added quickly, "but it's your fault. You can't really blame me."

"I'm the reason you're crazy?" Sharon rolled her eyes and turned to leave, but Flynn's hand closed around her elbow and prevented her from moving forward. She took a step back to release her arm and her back met the tiled wall behind her.

They looked at each other. Sharon sent him one of her menacing glares, which usually let everyone around her know that she was very angry. But Flynn didn't seem to be bothered by it. He took a step toward her and bent down to kiss her, but she moved her head back as much as she could and he stopped in mid-movement, sighing.

"Fine. Go." he waited.

Sharon knew that she should leave while she still can, but her body was frozen. Instead, she gazed at his disappointed face. The anger started to slip away from her, and she hated it. She hated the way he was slowly crawling under her skin, into her soul. The pitiful look he had in his sad, puppy-eyes made her legs feel as if they weighed a hundred ton, unable to move. She wanted to take him in her arms and comfort him. She wanted to see the mischievous smile on his face again and at the same time she wanted to slap him.

Next thing she knew, her legs led her to close the gap between them. With her hands on the back of his neck, she brought him closer to her until their lips found each other, surprising him and mostly herself.

She felt the excitement rising in his body, felt how much he wanted her, how much she needed to be touched by him... he brought back to life a part of her femininity that's been dormant for a long time, and that was a sensation she couldn't get enough of.

After what felt like a long kiss in the rain, they stopped and looked at each other.

"I should slap you," she said quietly.

"I won't stop you," he put his hands behind his back to show her that he was willing to receive his punishment.

"I think I'll just take that shower," now her voice was almost a whisper. She didn't like the fact that he kept taking her breath away every time he touched her.

Flynn moved to kiss her again, but she took a step backwards. He looked at her with confusion on his face until it was replaced with a smile as he watched her taking her shirt off. She knew that he's already seen that show last night, but she loved the way he looked at her with hungry eyes while she did it.

One by one, her soaked clothes found their way to the floor, falling gracelessly with a wet thud.

Flynn used his body weight to pin her to the wall behind her and kiss her neck. Not that he needed to do that, since she wasn't planning on going anywhere.

Sharon closed her eyes. "Is it really happening again?" she whispered. Flynn stopped kissing beneath her ear and looked at her.

"It might be a dream," he said just before he kissed his way down her body, his mouth sliding easily on her wet skin. He got on his knees and his hands moved up her thighs slowly, exploring.

Sharon felt a sudden shortness of breath. The excitement just waited to burst out of her, and it felt like a ticking bomb inside of her body, moments away from blowing up. The threat of explosion increased when Flynn's hands reached their final destination – the highest point of their little climb. His mouth followed them quickly, bringing Sharon to a melting point with little moans coming from her mouth like steam. She wanted to grab something, to have something to hold on to when the bomb goes off, but there was nothing around her.

She was starting to feel helpless. The ability to stand straight was slowly taken away from her and there was nothing she could do to save herself from falling. What if her knees suddenly fail to hold her?

But the solution to this problem was right under her nose. Flynn stopped what he was doing, and she opened her eyes immediately to see him standing up again. He grabbed her right thigh and lifted it, getting it out of his way.

Sharon wrapped her arms around his neck. She knew that she couldn't fall while holding on to him, although it wasn't an easy task with him moving back and forth again and again.

(***)

The explosion was much bigger than she was prepared for. It might have been the water or maybe something that was beyond comprehension, but last night wasn't nearly as intense.

Sharon looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her mind felt blank and crowded with thoughts at the same time. It was weird, but it didn't surprise her in light of the new experiences she's been having.

Flynn's face appeared in the mirror behind her reflection, and a second later he covered her with a robe. Her clothes were still on the floor, unfit for wearing.

His arms stayed around her after he placed the robe, so they stood there for a few moments without moving. Sharon's eyes met his eyes through the mirror, but she looked away quickly.

"What's going on?" he asked without moving.

Sharon considered her answer for a moment. She could go with the truth about her being embarrassed, but it sounded dumb in her head. She's a grown woman.

"My clothes. How am I supposed to dry them before we leave?" she turned around to face him and he had to let go of her.

"Maybe… throw them away?"

"I'm not going to throw away perfectly good clothes." She folded her arms.

"So… maybe we can find a way to stay here until they dry off."

Sharon arched her eyebrows and then shook her head. There was nothing she wanted more at the moment than to stay in this place for a little longer, but they had to be in El Paso as soon as possible. Still, it was nice to see that he wanted to stay just as bad.

"Never mind. I'll think of something," she walked passed him toward the door and grabbed her clothes on the way. "In the meantime, I'm going to wear something that wasn't _dragged_ into a shower. You should do the same and then go check on the car."

"Sure thing, Captain," he said in a tone that sounded polite, but Sharon knew he was being cynical.

"I hope you'll be able to handle it on your own," she teased him as a payback for the sarcasm. "Call me if there's any problem." And with that she left.

Just before she closed the front door behind her, she gave him a quick glance over her shoulder and saw him watching her with a smile.

The second she stepped outside, a voice behind her startled her.

"Captain!"

She turned around quickly and saw Sarah the receptionist. Her hair still seemed to be in need of a wash, and she was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. Sharon squinted in confusion.

"Sorry, I forgot your name. But I remember your almost-husband calling you Captain yesterday." Sarah smiled cheerfully.

"My… almost-husband?"

"I know you said you weren't a couple, but you _are_ in my head. You look too good together to not be… together," she giggled.

Sharon stared at her, amazed. "I have to…" she muttered, pointing at her room, "get dressed."

Sarah's eyes moved from Sharon to the door of Flynn's room, then to the door of Sharon's room and back to Sharon herself. A big smile spread on her face again.

"Excuse me," Sharon hoped to escape, but Sarah spoke again.

"Will you be leaving soon?"

"Yes. Excuse me," this time she turned to her room without waiting for an answer.

"Too bad for the blackout!" Sarah yelled behind her as she entered her room. "I hope it won't keep you from coming back again in the future!"

Sharon closed the door and sighed. "No, that's not why I won't come back again," she muttered and took off the robe, but instead of getting dressed she threw herself on her bed and closed her eyes. She could still feel Flynn's hands on her body, his mouth traveling on her skin…

Reality hit her hard out of nowhere and her heart felt heavy. She opened her eyes and sighed again. When will they find another opportunity to be together? The realization that it might have been their last time struck her like a lightning.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14:**

**Andy.**

Andy blinked against the bright sun as he crossed the road toward the garage. It wasn't a very cold day. The mild wind made it feel colder than it really was. The tree branches above his head moved back and forth, and he wondered if they could suddenly fall down. That thought turned his walk into a short run until he reached his destination.

A bell sounded somewhere above him when opened the door and entered the office. Two men in dirty, stained jumpsuits sat on footstools. There was a big, round can between them, which they used as a surface to play cards on. At the front desk stood a third man in a jumpsuit, sorting through many papers and documents with a cigarette in his mouth.

"Excuse me," Andy stood in front of him, across the desk. The man glanced at him and then dropped his eyes back to the papers in his hands. "Johnny, right? You checked my car yesterday and said it'll be ready by 9am today. Remember?"

"It's not 9 yet, is it?" Johnny said without looking at him.

Andy started to feel annoyed at the disrespect. "It's quarter to 9!" he raised his voice and Johnny finally looked at him.

"It's not gonna be ready in 15 minutes," he scoffed.

Andy took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "You had hours to fix it," he said quietly, fearing that he might burst if he speaks any louder.

"Well, it's not fixed. Maybe tomorrow or the day after."

"Are you serious?!" Andy couldn't hold it in anymore. "Listen, and listen carefully…" The two men behind him dropped the cards on the can and got on their feet. They walked toward Andy and stood on both sides of him, but he ignored them. "If you don't have this car fixed in two hours –"

"What? You'll call the police?" all three men laughed.

"I _am_ the police, you –"

"Oooh…" Johnny said, creating another wave of laughter.

"Fine, you leave me no other choice. You're gonna regret this," Andy pulled his iPhone out of his pocket and called Raydor. When she answered quickly he was relieved. The situation was starting to worry him. "Captain, I can't find anyone who feels like getting the car fixed anytime soon," he listened to her saying that she'll be right there, and then they hung up.

"Now I'm really scared," Johnny said with sarcasm and raised his hands in the air in surrender.

Andy smiled and kept quiet. They all stood there for a while in silence, waiting for Raydor. Andy watched Johnny browsing through his papers while his two employed bullies remained standing next to him like prison guards. At one point, he looked outside through the glass door and spotted Raydor crossing the road. She was wearing a black flowing skirt which covered her knees, and a dark-blue blouse was tucked into it. For a moment, his mind went blank. He got lost in her image and forgot where he was. Only the bell, which rang when she opened the door, reminded him of the garage and the three men.

"Hello," she said and Johnny raised his eyes from his papers again.

"A woman? That's your mighty Captain?" he scoffed and dropped his eyes to the papers again. His two gorillas smiled viciously and Andy rolled his eyes at them. Raydor looked at him with surprise and he returned her an eager look. He couldn't wait to see her reaction to Johnny. She walked a few steps to the front desk, her black high heels making the only sound in the entire garage.

"I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding," she said politely. "You said the car will be fixed by 9am today."

"I guess I've changed my mind. So?" Johnny didn't bother to look at her.

"So?" she made a sudden movement and grabbed the paper from his hands, startling him. "So if you don't want to be arrested for obstruction of justice and…" she glanced over her shoulder at Andy and the two men, "attempted battery on a police officer, you better have this car fixed as soon as possible. And. I. mean. _Soon_."

Andy couldn't stop the smile that was spreading on his face. He felt proud of his Captain. It was truly inspiring seeing such a strong woman in action. She was nothing like the women he used to date. He was just glad that he wasn't in Johnny's place.

"Okay, okay. No need to get mad. We'll have it fixed… soon."

"How soon is that?" Raydor asked in a dangerous tone.

"Two-three hours?" Johnny sounded like a little scared boy and Andy had to resist the urge to burst into laughter. Raydor squinted. She reminded Andy of a school principal. "Two-three hours, tops. I swear!" Johnny raised his hands in the air, this time surrendering for real.

"Good. We'll be at the inn across the street." She handed him his paper back and walked toward the door. Andy ran so he can get there ahead of her and open the door for her. She stepped outside without looking back and he saluted the two bullies mockingly before following her.

"When I said 'call me if there's any problem', I was just teasing you," Raydor said as they crossed the road back toward the inn.

"I know, but it would have been so boring there without you," he smiled.

"That's hilarious," she said in a serious tone full of sarcasm.

"Yeah... breakfast?" he pointed at the restaurant next to the inn. Raydor rolled her eyes but started walking toward it. "I don't know why, but I _really_ like seeing you being so… stern," he opened the door for her.

"That's because you're sick," she said quietly so that no one could hear but him and left him on the threshold, smiling. When he caught up with her a few seconds later, they chose the same table as yesterday and started browsing the menus. Andy sneaked a peek at her over his menu, but looked back down when she returned him a gaze.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he shrugged and placed the menu on the table. Raydor resumed browsing the menu and he stared at her.

"What is it?" she sounded annoyed.

"Nothing," he shrugged again.

Raydor slammed her menu on the table with a thud. "How is it possible that you're like a different, more mature person when you're… in _bed_?" she whispered the last two words.

"As I recall, we were in the _shower_," he whispered back, enjoying torturing her. She sighed and leaned back. "By the way, what _were_ you doing, looking for me while I was in the shower?"

Raydor leaned forward again quickly so he can hear her whisper. "I thought you were shaving or… doing something that included clothes."

"I know how to do a few things that include clothes. I can show you later," he smiled.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15:**

**Sharon.**

"I think I need some time on my own before we have to be confined in the car for a few hours," Sharon tried not to sound hurtful, but she had to say it. The intensity of their new relationship started to scare her. She needed to get away from him, to gain some perspective.

"No, I think _I_ need some time without you," he nodded. Sharon hoped that the casual tone he was using meant that he wasn't hurt or angry.

"Good," she said quietly in an attempt to sound indifferent.

(***)

After a quick breakfast, Sharon went straight to her room. She didn't want to know where Flynn was going and be tempted to follow him, so she rushed ahead without looking back. She figured he'd go to his room or the inn's yard.

Her black high-heels were replaced by a pair of sneakers that she packed in case she felt like taking a walk, and as they stood still – abandoned neatly at the foot of the bed – she put on a gray jacket and went back outside. She knew that she looked ridiculous with her elegant clothes and sneakers, but since she was going into the woods alone, she didn't care.

First thing she noticed was that Flynn wasn't in the yard, or anywhere to be seen.

He must be in his room, she thought and walked fast past his room so he doesn't have the chance to open the door and talk her into staying.

With the wind blowing in her hair, Sharon quickly walked back to the restaurant. But instead of entering, she followed the arrow-shaped sign which pointed the way to the brook and walked around the wooden building in which she had breakfast a few minutes ago.

Behind it, there were puddles of water on the ground, indicating the beginning of the brook. On both sides of the puddles, and all around, was very tall, unkempt grass. Having a lot of space to spread, it grew wildly and in different directions with the water's gracious and constant help.

Sharon started walking along the puddles, toward the edge of the small forest. A minute or so into her stroll, the puddles became bigger and bigger until they were one and she finally saw some ripples in the water – either the outset or the end of the stream, she wasn't sure.

There was a trail of bent down, trampled grass all the way to the trees and Sharon knew that somebody has already walked that path sometime before her. She hoped it wasn't today.

When she reached those threes, after about five minutes of walking, she was relieved. The wind couldn't blow between the tall trees as strongly as it did out on the open, so Sharon wasn't cold anymore. The light was also not as strong anymore, but it wasn't too dark to see.

Soon after entering the forest, Sharon noticed that the brook was deeper now, and the stream was louder and more vigorous.

She tried to clear her thoughts by looking at the relaxing scenery around her, but with all the tress, which looked pretty much the same, she couldn't keep her mind clear for long. Thoughts kept echoing in her head even though she tried to ignore them.

What will she do with Flynn once they've gone back to LA? Did their romance end this morning, or will they find another chance to be together?

She knew it was impossible for them to continue this for much longer, especially in LA. It has to end the second they get back there. Nevertheless, she had to admit – she'd love to start every day like she did today.

If Flynn wasn't in my squad, I'd definitely take interest in a man like him, she thought and nodded to herself. On the other hand, she couldn't imagine the squad without him. Not seeing him every day…

A clearing appeared in front of her and she froze on her spot. It took her a few seconds to come back from her thoughts, and then she stepped into the clearing and looked around the circle-shaped area. The brook crossed the clearing like a giant, sparkling snake, right in the middle.

"Are you following me?" a voice to her right startled her and she tripped back. A pair of strong arms grabbed her just in time and helped her back into a standing position.

"What the hell are you… I almost had a heart attack just now," she released herself from his hands and took a step back, to put some distance between them.

"I came here to be alone," Flynn shrugged.

"No, _I_ came here to be alone," her voice was stiff.

"Well… great minds think alike, right?" he smiled and moved forward, closing the gap between their bodies.

"Wait," she stopped him with her hand on his chest, but he was already too close. Her heart started to pound forcefully in her chest and she felt the air escaping her. "I came here exactly because of this."

"This what? You wanted to find me here -?"

"No. I wanted to figure out how to stop…" she dropped her gaze to his chest, which was far less embarrassing than his eyes, "wanting to find you."

Flynn just sighed and for a moment all she heard was the stream.

"Why now?" he asked. Sharon raised her gaze from his chest and looked him in the eyes again.

"We're going to arrive in El Paso in a few hours. Then, we'll interrogate Anderson, probably spend another night at a motel over there and drive straight to LA the next morning, hopefully with our suspect. We don't have much time for… this," her finger moved from her to him, indicating the two of them together.

"Right. So why spend the little time we have left, worrying about it?"

Sharon couldn't come up with an answer. Not many times in her life she didn't know how to respond to something, but he was truly right. Why cut this short when they have at least one day left?

Flynn watched her in silence as she processed those thoughts. She didn't notice that at first, until he put his hands on her cheeks, holding her head steady while bringing their lips together.

Sharon didn't object. She couldn't bring herself to do it even if she wanted, but at that moment, objecting really was the last thing on earth she wanted to do.

Once again, she felt like their mouths were engaged in an endless battle. A battle which didn't lead to victory or defeat. It was a battle of passions with nothing to gain but a realization of those impulses, the urge to feel one another.

"I think you owe me for this morning," he said from between her lips.

Sharon moved her head back, just enough to get him to stop kissing her.

"Oh, really? It had a price?"

"Well, I wasn't expecting something in return, and you don't _have_ to do anything you don't _want_ to…" his tone turned into the mischievously insinuating one, which Sharon couldn't help but love. "But if you feel like paying me back for that shower –"

"Meaning…?" her hand suddenly grabbed the lump in his pants and he gasped in surprise.

"Sure… or maybe use some other body parts to reach there," he said in a seemingly casual tone, as if they were talking about the weather. "Like… what if I just sat on that big rock over there?" he walked around her and sat down on a dark-gray rock, the size of a chair. "What would you do?" his fingers unbuttoned his jeans while his eyes were fixated on her.

Sharon squinted without moving for a moment, trying to play along and look innocent, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. Then she walked toward him, still trying to appear indifferent – even though she wanted to run to him – and bent down a little, so she can reach his zipper. Her hair brushed his face gently and he closed his eyes for a moment.

"I guess I'd…" her fingers pulled the zipper all the way down.


	16. Chapter 16

_**This fic is now interactive.**_

_I thought both you - the readers - and I will enjoy it if you can take part of the plot development._

_So at the end of each chapter I will give you a few options to choose from and the next chapter will be based on the winning option._

_You can cast your vote either by reviewing the chapter or by PMing me._

* * *

**Chapter 16:**

**Andy.**

Andy looked at the gray sky. The rain clouds kept shifting in a slow, calming drift. For a split second he could feel the weak winter sun on his face, but then it went back to its hiding place behind the gray. All in all, for someone like him who prefers the summer, it was a pretty depressing sight. But Andy couldn't feel anything negative at that moment. Without looking at her, his hand traveled absentmindedly to Raydor's head, but she didn't seem to notice or care. Her mouth didn't break contact with his body even for a second, and he couldn't complain.

He closed his eyes, giving in to the vibes of sheer bliss which were spreading through his body – getting stronger and stronger by the second.

A thought came to his mind, and suddenly he wanted to laugh. If someone had told him two days ago that this is what the business trip is going to be like, he'd have recommended this person to see a psychiatrist. There was no way he could have believed it without actually living it, in light of the previous nature of their relationship.

When Raydor first came into their lives, no one in the Major Crimes division could stand her. Andy hated her and what her job meant for hard working cops like him. They all continued to dislike her for a long time, but when she helped Chief Johnson and the squad with the wrongful death accusation, Andy couldn't help but like her just a little. Then, when she was transferred to the squad as the commanding officer, he felt sorry for her because she was having a hard time fitting in and gaining respect – especially from Provenza. So he tried to help her during the investigations in any way he could and unofficially became her right hand.

But analyzing his past feelings for her only confused Andy. It never seemed like those feelings could end up leading to this massive attraction, or this uncontainable desire.

A sudden shiver spiraled up his spine quickly and his mind went blank instantly when he started to feel like he was falling. A slow, joyful fall and he never wanted to hit the ground.

(***)

"Wait, don't walk so fast. You'll slip," Andy called behind Raydor, who was almost running back along the brook, toward the inn.

Just a few minutes ago they were sitting on the ground, looking at sky and at each other, talking or just enjoying the sound of the water.

Then, Raydor looked at her watch and her eyes opened wide. Before Andy realized what was happening, she got on her feet – muttering, 'how did the time go by so fast?' – and practically ran off. That's why Andy had to run to catch up with her. When he was finally at her side, he reached for her arm and slowed her down.

"Five minutes won't make a difference for those idiots from the garage, so let's not go crazy," he panted.

"It's totally irresponsible," she was rebuking mostly herself.

"Yes. How dare you be ten minutes late?" he mocked her.

Raydor stopped walking and Andy had to go back a few steps since he didn't realize it at first.

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm right now," she said in her low, menacing tone. "We have a long day ahead of us with a tight schedule."

"Sorry," he smiled.

"This isn't funny."

"I know, I know. I just… every since we became _intimate_…"

"What? You don't take me seriously anymore? I knew this was a mistake," she shook her head.

"No, I do take you seriously. But I also think you're hot when you're angry, whereas in the past I used to think you were just scary," he smiled again. There was some apology in his eyes but mostly mischief.

"Great," Raydor muttered and continued to walk. Andy was pretty sure she was flattered by what he said, but he knew how rules were important for her and their relationship meant shattering them to little pieces.

"I didn't lose respect for you," he said a second later when he caught up with her again, just as she walked past the last line of trees, leaving the forest behind. The wind blew harder again once they were out on the open, and Andy wished he had a jacket on.

"No, you'll just imagine me naked every time I get angry or serious at work."

He laughed to the sound of sarcasm in her tone and put his arm around her shoulders in a half-hug, bringing her closer to him.

"You're always serious at work."

Raydor rolled her eyes but didn't object to his touch. They walked like that for several minutes, until they were too close to the inn and she moved away from him.

When they reached the main road, they both stopped before crossing it. Raydor turned and faced him.

"Do you want to go get the car, or would you like me to handle the big, scary idiots from the garage?" she finally smiled. A wicked sparkle appeared for a split second in her eyes.

"I can handle them, I'm a big boy. I think I've proved it to you more than once," he teased her back.

"Goodbye," she walked toward the inn's entrance without waiting for his response. Andy smiled and watched her until the door closed behind her, and then started toward the garage on the other side of the road.

* * *

_**The options for the next chapter are:**_

_1. The car still isn't fixed and they have to stay in the inn for a while longer._

_2. The mechanics attack Flynn._

_3. The car is fixed and Raydor\Flynn leave the place._

_4. The mechanics disappear with the car._


	17. Chapter 17

_**Thanks everyone for voting! I have a few notes on the matter:**_

_1. Don't vote for two options, it won't be counted._

_2. If you feel like suggesting a new option it's fine but it probably won't become an official one._

_3. You have about two days to vote, since I have to start writing the next chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

**Sharon.**

Sharon went back to her room. She stuffed the sneakers and the gray jacket inside her bag and zipped it. The rest of her belongings were already packed. The room was quiet. The whole area was quiet. Too quiet. There weren't many sounds around, except for the eerie bellows of the wind outside.

'Coming to think of it,' Sharon started a conversation inside her head again, 'we didn't even see a stray cat outside or even a turtle or any other living thing. Apart from the people who work here and the two of us, there's no one else around. What a weird place,' she thought. Her eyebrows contracted for a second but then she shook off that thought and walked to the door. Stopping by the mirror for a last glance, she felt that familiar feeling of heaviness in her chest. It was like a cruel glance at reality, which reminded her of the fact that this new, exciting romance has been on death row since the moment it started. In a few days they'll be back in LA and it will all be over. She could already feel the longing, seeing him at work without being able to touch him or cast him a meaningful smile.

A haste knock on the door to her right startled her as she was lost in thoughts, worrying about the future as always. She took a deep breath to recompose herself before opening it.

Flynn was there, already wearing his sunglasses and ready to go.

"The car is fixed. I took care of the bill both from the garage and the inn. We can go," he said at once. Sharon arched her eyebrows in surprise. "You're not the only one who knows how to get things done," he smiled, reading her thoughts.

"I'll make sure you get reimbursed you for your expenses as soon as possible," she chose not to comment on his last sentence while carrying her bag and purse over the threshold and closing the door behind her. Flynn didn't move back, which resulted in Sharon having to stand with her back against the closed door and him being inches away from her. She could smell his aftershave now and it made her feel dizzy for a moment. She wanted to drop her bag and purse to the ground and take him in her arms. Instead, she walked around him before it was too late to control herself and continued toward the lobby, her heels making their sound with every quick step she took.

It was relatively dark inside, and Sharon needed a few seconds to get used to it. At first, the room appeared to be empty as she looked around, hearing Flynn entering behind her and closing the door.

"Maybe we can just leave the keys and run," he whispered in her ear, sending a quick shiver down her spine.

"Leaving already?!" a voice boomed suddenly from the left side of the room and Sharon jumped, her palm instinctively moving to her chest, as if her heart was in danger of dropping from fear.

Sarah the receptionist came out from behind an antique cupboard, or so it seemed, and walked around a couch that was strangely placed in the middle of the room for awaiting guests. Sharon looked over her shoulder at Flynn and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, goodbye," he said in annoyance, walked to the reception desk and dropped his key on it. He turned around and waited for Sharon to do the same.

For a moment Sharon hesitated. She really wanted to avoid any further interaction with Sarah. Following Flynn seemed like the easiest way out, and she almost did. But then her conscience took over and she tried her best to smile.

"Yes, we are leaving," she said quietly.

"That's too bad! When will you be coming back?" Sarah came to a stop very close to Sharon, which made her somewhat uncomfortable. The need to follow Flynn became stronger now, but her legs stayed planted in her spot, not allowing her to be rude.

"Probably not anytime soon," she said, keeping her voice calm.

"Probably never," Flynn muttered on the way to the door. When he opened it, the sunlight penetrated the room in dusty rays and Sarah's eyes closed to a narrow crack.

"Well, thank you very much," Sharon handed her the second key and Flynn disappeared from sight as Sarah took it in her hand. Sharon tried to walk away toward the door, but Sarah grabbed her arm. Sharon looked at her suspiciously but waited to see what she wanted.

"Don't mind his cranky attitude. I can tell it's just an act. Your energies are combined, they match," her voice was dreamy and mysterious.

"O… kay. Thanks," Sharon yanked her arm and strode across the room toward the open door.

The wind was still blowing hard and the clouds accumulated in the sky above them menacingly. It felt good to be finally leaving this strange place behind, although she'll never forget it and the time she spent there. Sharon pulled her sunglasses from her purse while walking toward the car. Flynn was waiting by the passenger side with the door open for her. She came to him after placing her bag in the back seat, but didn't go inside.

"I'm driving," she held her hand, waiting for the key to be placed in her palm. Flynn frowned and apparently hesitated before giving her the key. "Thank you," she smiled and started to move away from him but stopped when he talked.

"I need something for the road," he said without elaborating. Sharon came back to him and cast a quick look at the restaurant to her left, thinking that he might be hungry.

"What is it?" now it was her time to frown, wondering. She saw his body moving forward, as if in slow motion, and felt her purse dropping to the ground when his lips reached hers. For a moment, she could do nothing but concentrate on his tongue's movements. Her mind went blank. So blank that she forgot for a moment how to move. Her arms hung idly from her shoulders, disobeying her brain which ordered Sharon to push Flynn away from her. When her arms finally did move, it seemed like they were unnaturally obeying her heart. Instead of pushing him away, her hands traveled up his arms, caressed his shoulders and came to a stop on the back of his neck.

They stood there for what seemed like forever, forgetting that they weren't alone there after all, until Flynn separated his lips from hers. When Sharon opened her eyes he was looking at her with a little smile - the mischievous one she so loved to hate. Reality hit her like a blow to the head and she quickly looked around to see if anyone witnessed her momentary lapse, but no one was there.

"Don't do that again," her voice was cold. She adjusted her blouse and hair and started again toward the driver side.

* * *

_**The options for the next chapter are:**_

_1. The car doesn't start._

_2. The car is fine and they continue their journey to El Paso._

_3. Flynn gets mad at Raydor's reaction to the kiss and refuses to get in the car._

_4. The car mechanics stop them and something bad happens._


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**Andy.**

"It takes two, you know," Andy said loud enough for Raydor to hear from the other side of the car. He felt annoyed. Up until now, he tried to accept her being so reserved and distant, but his patience was running out. He knew that right now he wanted her more than anything, but he was starting to wonder whether he really wanted to be with her or was it just the chase that was exciting for him. She was definitely a hard one to catch.

Andy watched her getting in the car and then did the same. Raydor didn't say a word before or after she started to drive. He buckled his seatbelt and tried to keep his mouth shut. A fight wasn't something he was interested to have at the moment, but he felt his inside boiling up and knew that he won't be able to hold back.

"What did you mean by 'don't do that again'?" he finally spoke, realizing that his voice was reflecting what he was feeling inside – irritated – and yet, he couldn't help it. It wasn't difficult, making him angry. He was always hot-blooded, unlike her, and that's why he was constantly amazed by her ability to stay calm when people were trying their best to unsettle her.

Raydor didn't answer right away. She made a left turn and seemed to be considering her response.

"It's one thing to do something wrong behind closed doors, but on the street… it's not worth the risk," she said in her usual slow and emotionless manner.

Andy shifter in his seat to better look at her. As always, her face didn't give away any emotion or thought that might be crossing her mind. There was no way of knowing what she was going on inside her head and her dark sunglasses didn't help the matter.

"Well, that's good to know," he said sarcastically. "If it's not worth it now, what will happen when we get back to LA?"

Raydor shook her head slightly and took a deep breath. Andy couldn't tell if she was annoyed or sad.

"Nothing," she said shortly.

"Nothing?" he repeated, "you mean when we get back we forget about each other?" it was a real effort for him to not raise his voice.

"On the personal level, yes," she said firmly.

"And how are we supposed to do that?"

"Andy…" Raydor sighed, "it's not that hard. We're not children."

"Oh, I'm sorry, but not all of us are robots," he knew that it was mean, but it still felt good saying it, letting out a little steam.

Raydor remained silent. Her eyes didn't move from the road, even for a second. Andy suspected that she was grateful for this excuse not to look at him. It was an easy escape, yes, but he himself preferred looking at her.

"I'm not a robot," she finally said quietly. Andy examined her face with a frown. Her tone was strange. Fragile, like he never heard before. She was probably the strongest woman he's ever known, and this tone did not suit the image he had of her in his mind. Even though he knew that he'd hurt her, he couldn't let go, but he tried to speak less aggressively.

"So what do you call a person who can completely disregard their emotions?" he turned his head to the road, annoyed.

"A mature person who can predict the consequences of their actions."

"Yeah, great, so I'm not mature. You know, maybe you should try managing your life with something other than your head," he felt like he could spit fire from anger but didn't say another word. A thick, heavy silence fell in the small space of the car. Raydor was still determined to keep her eyes on the road. Andy tried to do the same but from time to time he sneaked a peek at her, feeling the urge to renew the conversation once more, but resisting it again and again.

He started to understand where she was going with their relationship, and he didn't like it. Usually he had no problem with jumping from one woman to another, but Raydor intrigued him. He wanted to deepen his knowledge of her, to solve the mystery that she was. Her layers were endless. Andy felt like he could never get to know her all the way. He didn't even know if this thing between them could last, but he wasn't ready to let go of it yet.

"Look, Andy," Raydor said suddenly, pulling him back from his own world, "maybe it was a mistake. I guess I knew it from the start, but the truth is I couldn't… I didn't want to resist…" she stopped, looking pensive.

"And?" he pushed, both eager and afraid to hear the rest.

"And… we should put an end to it right now…" her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. Andy saw her swallowing hard. Her words seemed to have left a hole in his stomach. He felt empty and unexpectedly lost for words. He wanted to stand his ground. His brain shouted to not give up, but his mouth couldn't utter the right words.

"Fine, if that's what you want," he said quietly without really knowing why he was agreeing to it, and turned to look through the window to his right.

They were on the freeway. Trees in the distance passed him by quickly, but didn't register. Andy didn't really see what he was looking at. His mind raced. He closed his eyes, trying to escape the reality of being confined in a car for hours with a woman who just rejected him.

* * *

**_The options for the next chapter are:_**

_1. Flynn sleeps until they arrive at El Paso and they finally interview Anderson._

_2. __They have an accident and Flynn or Raydor get hurt._

_3. Raydor realizes that the mechanics are following\chasing them._

_4. __Raydor makes a wrong turn and they get lost._


	19. Chapter 19

_**Reminder: Do NOT vote for two options if you want your vote to be counted.**_

* * *

**Chapter 19**

**Sharon.**

Sharon opened her eyes and blinked. There was a white ceiling above her, which she didn't recognize. It definitely wasn't her home or her office or even the inn they left a few hours ago. For a moment she felt completely disoriented. She had no idea where she was, or why she was lying down. An attempt to move caused a sharp pain in her left arm and she moaned, realizing how exhausted she was. But why? She had no idea. It didn't make any sense. The day had just begun; she wasn't supposed to be tired yet.

Footsteps to her right announced the presence of another person in the room. Her heart started to pound in her chest as she suddenly feared that it might be a stranger. But a second later, Flynn's face appeared in front of her eyes, blocking a part of that white ceiling from her sight. He examined her carefully, placing his palm on her forehead fondly. Sharon frowned.

"Am I in a hospital?" she heard her voice but it didn't sound like her. It was hoarse and tired.

"Yeah. We had a little accident," Flynn said gently. Sharon's eyes widened and he added quickly, "It wasn't your fault. A car in the opposite lane crashed into us. That's what the local cops said, anyway. I was sleeping when it happened."

His hand moved to her head, caressing her once and then staying still. Sharon liked the way it felt. It was comforting, containing. She couldn't remember the last time a man made her feel that way, especially her husband.

"My arm –"

"You sprained it, nothing serious. According to the doctor, it's gonna take a few weeks to heal. And you also got a concussion."

"Oh, god," Sharon closed her eyes for a moment, digesting the news. "How long do I have to be here for?" she tried to sit up but it was hard with one arm and a major headache. Flynn supported her back and helped her up.

"How are you feeling? Are you dizzy?"

"I'm fine," Sharon said shortly. She was telling the truth. Apart from those throbbing pains in her head and arm, nothing else seemed to hurt. "How long?" she repeated, this time trying to sound as stern as she could so that Flynn would give her a straight answer.

"Doctor wants you here overnight," he said carefully, obviously knowing that she'll never agree to it.

"Not a chance. I'm fine. There's no reason to waste another day," Sharon tried to reach the floor with her feet, but Flynn stopped her with his hands on her shoulders.

"Wait; let me call the doctor, Sharon, please."

She stopped struggling on hearing the last word. His almost begging eyes looked deep into hers as he waited for her reaction. Sharon never noticed before the warmth in those brown eyes. How could she have missed it? Or maybe she didn't. Maybe it was something he was saving just for her? She liked that thought, even though she doubted it was true. There was something in his eyes that made her feel safe. When he looked at her like that, she didn't remember having an accident. All she knew was that he made her feel secure.

Flynn moved her hair from her face, bringing her back to reality, and asked her not to move until he comes back with the doctor. Sharon complied, watching him leaving the room. Usually she was the one setting the rules in her life – both professional and personal – but with him she didn't mind following from time to time. This was also new to her. It felt strange, both exciting and terrifying. She needed time to get used to all of the new experiences and feelings she was suddenly having, yet she knew that she didn't have that time. Thinking about the moment they get back to LA was like putting a heavy weight inside her stomach. They'll have to see each other on a daily basis and act like nothing ever happened between them. Sharon didn't know what name to give it, but this thing between them felt too good to be so short.

(***)

An hour later, Flynn was helping Sharon to get inside the car. One arm supported her around her waist and the other held the door. Sharon made a note in her mind of how gentle he was being. She didn't think he had it in him, what with his hot temper and his usual impatience.

Flynn got in the car quickly and started it. Sharon watched him in silence, painfully aware the urge to put her hand on his arm or thigh, to touch him, to feel closer to him again. This urge stopped surprising her by now. She's been feeling it none stop ever since they started this trip, and it grew impossibly stronger after they had their first physical contact. This need felt like having a really bad itch – she desperately wanted to scratch, but knew it would only make it worse.

"How are you handling not being able to drive?" Flynn smiled, his eyes on the road.

"I trust you can do it well on your own," she said in her calm tone. Her eyes were moving toward the window when she felt something warm on her thigh. Turning her head to it, she realized his hand was now resting there.

"Andy…" she said, almost apologetically, "we talked about it," her hand was removing his hand now gently.

"I know, but you're not gonna make it," he was still smiling.

"Excuse me?"

"You're gonna break by tonight."

"Oh, really?" Sharon hated the confidence in his voice. She knew he was teasing her, but she still couldn't help but feel annoyed. Or challenged, in which case she both wanted to win and to lose.

"Yeah," Flynn looked amused.

"Not going to happen," she said in determination.

"You'll see," he continued with his annoying, light tone.

"No. _You'll_ see."

"Yeah. I'll see that I'm right."

"Okay," she rolled her eyes, wondering how she let herself get into this ridiculous argument. He definitely knew how to dig up things she didn't even know existed in her.

He continued to drive in silence and she closed her eyes, hoping that her head would soon stop hurting.

* * *

**_The options for the next chapter are:_**

_1. They reach El Paso and start interrogating the suspect._

_2. They are in El Paso, **after** __interrogating _the suspect (the storyline jumps forward a few hours)._  
_

_3. Flynn makes a wrong turn and they get lost._

_4. __They have a fight\an argument about their relationship in the car._


	20. Chapter 20

**__****Reminder: Do NOT vote for two options if you want your vote to be counted.**

* * *

**Chapter 20:**

**Andy.**

Night had fallen on El Paso. Street lights shined with their artificial glow high above pedestrians who looked busy making their ways on the pavements.

Andy helped Raydor out of the car and then took their bags out of the trunk. She took a few steps toward the hotel entrance, but stopped midway and waited. She watched him as he approached her, carrying everything they brought with them on this trip.

"Thank you for helping," Raydor said when he was close enough to hear. He came to a stop in front of her and examined her carefully. He moved his eyes down her body and back up to her face without saying a word. She was standing right beneath one of the lamps which illuminated the front path and he could see her clearly.

"Andy?" she squinted.

"You look better. How do you feel?"

"Good. No more headaches," she gave him a little smile.

"And the arm?"

"It's not that bad, I guess. Although I might have a problem doing simple things, like taking a shower, which I really want to do right now. But… I'll get over it."

"I can help you," he gave her a mischievous smile, knowing how that offer to assist her sounded like.

"Funny," she turned in her spot and resumed walking. Andy took a second to look at her going. He liked the way she moved with serenity and confidence. It was just like the way she talked. He wasn't sure whether she was faking that confidence or not, but being around her always makes him feel like everything is under control.

"Oh, come on, we're both adults, and I've already seen you naked, you know," he followed her.

"No."

"Fine. If you don't wanna take a shower after traveling for hours, getting into a car accident, being admitted to a hospital and interrogating a murderer – that's your choice."

Andy pushed the front door open with his shoulder and waited for Raydor to enter. She rolled her eyes at him before doing so and he smiled again.

A few minutes later, they got the keys to their rooms and walked to the elevator. It wasn't a fancy hotel – that would be impossible with the LAPD's financial situation – but it was better than the inn.

The elevator doors opened right away when Andy pushed the button with his knuckle, but Raydor stayed behind.

"You coming?" he asked from inside the elevator.

"No, I'm going to call Rusty. I'll be up in a few minutes."

"Can't you call him from your room?" Andy frowned in confusion but then it hit him. She wanted to put some distance between them. He allowed the elevator doors to close absentmindedly, his head busy with thoughts about possible ways to get into her room or to get _her_ into _his_ room.

He already tried the shower, but it didn't work. Maybe he could come up with some excuse. But what?"

The elevator stopped on the third floor and a ding sounded before the doors opened to reveal the corridor. Andy stepped out and looked for his room – 325. Raydor's room was right next to his – 324.

Then he had another sudden realization – he didn't need any excuses. He had her bags with him. The corners of his lips curled up as he unlocked his room and entered.

(***)

When the expected knock on the door finally sounded, Andy was already in the shower. He got out quickly, wrapped a white towel around his waist and opened the door, dripping of water.

As soon as he was revealed to her on the threshold, Raydor opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out when she realized he was practically naked. Her eyes dropped to his chest for a second and she cleared her throat, obviously embarrassed.

"Yes? You changed your mind?" Andy asked, trying not to laugh at her expression. It made him happy, seeing that she wanted him just like he wanted her.

"What? No. I… I need my… things," Raydor looked him firmly in the eyes and Andy knew that she was trying real hard not to look at his body again.

"Well, come in," he moved aside to allow her entrance.

"I know what you're doing," she said without moving, her face serious.

"Yeah, it's not that hard to see. I'm being interrupted while taking a shower… something _you_ won't be able to do tonight," he teased her.

"Could you just get me my bags?" she ignored him.

"Sure. Go to your room and I'll bring them to you."

"No, it's okay. You bring them to me here and I'll take them to my room."

"With one arm? No, I insist."

Raydor glared at him, maybe hoping that he would fold, but he only stared back at her.

"Fine," she gave up and disappeared from sight. Andy grabbed her bags and followed her.

Room 324 looked exactly like room 325, but Andy didn't pay much attention to it. After closing the door and placing the bags on a chair he approached Raydor, who was standing next to the bed with her back to him, probably thinking that it would make him go away.

But Andy wasn't planning on doing that. Without thinking much, he brought his chest to her back, his arms sliding smoothly around her waistline like two snakes, coming to a rest on her stomach. Before she could react, his lips found the side of her neck and Raydor tilted her head back with eyes shut, moaning softly.

Andy's mouth traveled up slowly, brushing her skin until reaching her ear. Remembering how soft she felt against his lips was exhilarating. He felt her shivering slightly and leaning against his body.

"How about that shower?" he whispered. Raydor sighed.

"We had a car accident today and that's all you can think about?" her eyes were still shut.

"Always," he smirked. Raydor removed his hands from around her and turned to look at him with a serious face. Andy stopped smiling and added, "Look, we don't have to do anything. But I really want to help you feel better. So if a shower is what it takes…"

"Really? You can help me take a shower without it leading to… other things?" she sounded skeptic.

"Wanna bet?"

They stared at one other, silently challenging each other to some twisted game of willpower.

* * *

**_The options for the next chapter are:_**

1. Sharon accepts Andy's offer to help her with the shower.

2. Sharon gets a call and Andy goes back to his room.

3. Sharon tries to take a shower without Andy's help.

4. Andy fears he won't be able to take it and backs down.


End file.
